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Source: Lia Darjes/EFM

European Film Market

Voltage Pictures is launching international sales at EFM on the pop musical Verona to star Clara Rugaard, Jamie Ward, Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett, Jason Isaacs and Derek Jacobi

Writer-director Timothy Scott Bogart’s (Spinning Gold, Last Full Measure) original feature is based on the story that inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo And Juliet.

Production is underway in Italy and the producers have earmarked a wide US theatrical release for Verona in the December holiday season.

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Rupert Graves, Dan Fogler and Tayla Parx and Ledisi round out the cast. Evan Bogart (Beyonce’s ‘Halo’, Rihanna’s ‘SOS’) is scoring and producing the original music for the film and multiple Oscar-winner Dante Ferretti serves as production designer.

Timothy Scott Bogart, Jessica Martins and Chris Torto are producing through their newly launched Hero Entertainment Partners that will release Bogart’s Spinning Gold theatrically on March 31. Verona is the first in Hero Entertainment Partners’ commitment to a $100m production financing slate of music-driven films and live theatre.

Laurence Mark and Gary A. Randall serve as executive producers.

“We’ve set out to tell the greatest love story of all time, set to the musical pulse of our time,” said the director. “But Shakespeare only told part of that remarkable tale whose events changed the course of history.”

Romeo And Juliet is the original Young Adult romance, or as we have come to say in the office, The OG YA,” said Voltage president and COO Jonathan Deckter. “Having had the pleasure of seeing the hours of raw footage and hearing the original music from Verona, I know that our international partners, many of whom have leaned heavily into the YA space alongside us, will be on board with this passionate new twist on the OG YA tale that Tim and the team are bringing to life.”