FilmDistrict has finalised its US acquisition of the 3D adventure Arabian Nights to star Liam Hemsworth from the upcoming The Hunger Games in a deal that has been in the works since the AFM last year.
The move follows FilmDistrict’s US deal for the Gerard Butler-Jessica Biel comedy Playing The Field, announced in Screen in Cannes on Thursday [12].
Chuck Russell is set to direct Arabian Nights from a screenplay he co-wrote with Barry Ambrose. Bill Johnson of Inferno Entertainment is producing with ROAR’s Will Ward and Jay Froberg and Mayhem Pictures’ Mark Ciardi. Inferno’s Jim Seibel serves as executive producer.
Inferno did the deal with FilmDistrict and will continue to pre-sell international territories on the tale of a young commander who teams up with Sinbad, Aladdin and his Genie to rescue Scheherazade and save her kingdom from a malign sorcerer.
“Chuck Russell’s film is entertainment on a grand scale,” FilmDistrict CEO Peter Schlessel said. “With its enchanting story and astonishing visuals, Arabian Nights truly creates cinematic magic.”
President of theatrical distribution Bob Berney called the project “a fun family adventure in the tradition of the classic Ray Harryhausen movies.”
Inferno’s sales slate includes Stephenie Meyer adaptation The Host, Andrew Dominik’s Cogan’s Trade with Brad Pitt, Joe Carnahan’s The Grey starring Liam Neeson, and Gary McKendry’s Killer Elite starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro, which just sold to Open Road for US distribution.
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