The Magic Faraway Tree

Source: NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS, ELYSIAN FILM GROUP

The Magic Faraway Tree

EXCLUSIVE: Palisades Park Pictures has closed multiple deals including Germany and Australia on The Magic Faraway Tree and continues talks at AFM on the Enid Blyton children’s book adaptation featuring a cast led by Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, and Nicola Coughlan.

Leonine has acquired rights for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, VVS Films will distribute in Australia and New Zealand, and Sun has picked up the film for Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

Further deals have closed in Poland (KinoSwiat); Middle East (Selim Ramia); Indonesia (PT Prima); Philippines (Pioneer); Israel (Shoval); Turkey (Leon Creative Concepts); Romania (Magic Media); former Yugoslavia (Karantanija); Czech Republic (AQS); South Africa (Empire Entertainment); and CIS (Arna Media).

Entertainment Film Distributors previously acquired UK rights to the feature, which Ben Gregor directs from a screenplay by Wonka and Paddington 2 co-writer Simon Farnaby about a modern family that relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree that helps the family reconnect. The cast includes Jessica Gunning, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jennifer Saunders.

Palisades Park Pictures CEO Tamara Birkemoe is hosting a private screening of The Magic Faraway Tree at the market and said: “The combination of Simon’s magical adaptation of this best-selling book and Ben’s visual artistry have created a captivating cinematic event for audiences of all ages across the globe.”

Pippa Harris and Nicolas Brown of Neal Street Productions are producing alongside Danny Perkins of Elysian Film Group. Perkins developed the project with Harris and Brown while he ran Studiocanal UK. Executive Producers include Birkemoe, and Ashland Hill Media Finance’s Simon Williams, Joe Simpson, Merrick Stoller, Andy Wang, and Matthew Chausse. CAA Media Finance jointly represents US rights and Ashland Hill Media Finance is fully financing the project.

Palisades Park Pictures’ AFM sales slate includes The Revisionist starring Dustin Hoffman, Alison Brie, André Holland, and Tom Sturridge; the live-action monster tale Grendel starring Jeff Bridges, Dave Bautista, Sam Elliott, Thomasin McKenzie, Aidan Turner, and T Bone Burnett; Eyes In The Trees with Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ashley Greene, Thomas Kretschmann, and Praya Lundberg; and That’s Amore! with John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, and Christopher Walken.

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