IM Global’s specialty label will fully finance the Tom Hardy star vehicle and is introducing to buyers at EFM. Paul Webster, Joe Wright and Guy Heeley’s Shoebox Films are producing and Steven Knight will direct from his original screenplay.

Locke will be shot in real time over 90 minutes and follows a man on the road to success who must race to save his life from unravelling after he receives a mysterious phone call.

Production is scheduled to kick off later this month in London. Paul Webster and Guy Heeley will produce. CAA represents North American rights.

IM Global, Shoebox and Knight previously collaborated on Hummingbird, which Lionsgate will release later this year.

“It’s a cool project,” IM Global CEO Stuart Ford told Screendaily. “It’s fresh and has great talent involved. We’re delighted to be working again with Shoebox and Steven and it’s not often these things come together so quickly. When Shoebox told me about it I committed to it immediately, Steven went off and wrote the script and Tom approved the script.”

“Tom Hardy and Steve Knight are two of the most exciting talents working today so Guy and I are really excited to be able team up with them and our friends at IM Global on this unique project,” said Webster.

“I’m really excited to be working with Tom Hardy on an innovative piece of film-making, which will exercise his immense talent to the full,” said Knight. “That IM Global are coming with us on this literal and metaphorical journey is testament to their creative ambition”.