Beacon Pictures and Universal Pictures International (UPI) has completed key territory sales on Beacon's latest project The Palace Thief at AFM.

Entertainment Film Distributors bought the Kevin Kline-starrer for the UK, Toho-Towa took it for Japan, Manga for Spain, Roadshow for Australia, New Zealand and Greece and NuVision for Latin America. Per its US deal with Universal Pictures, Universal will release the film domestically.

Deals are pending in France, Italy and Germany, said Beacon COO Tom Bliss who added that the film has been sold in Iceland to Samfilm, in Israel to Forum Film, in the Middle East to Italia and in Turkey to Pinema.

Beacon, which is coming off a busy season of releases including 13 Days, The Family Man and Bring It On, also sold out on its epic thriller The Spy Game which stars Brad Pitt and Robert Redford.

The Palace Thief is to be directed by Michael Hoffman (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Soapdish, One Fine Day) and will star Kevin Kline. Written by Neil Tolkin, the film is based on a short story by Ethan Canin about a prep school teacher who muses over his past 50 years of teaching. Bliss compared it to Dead Poets Society or Goodbye Mr Chips in tone.