Cotillard, Duris, Chaumeil join new Universal-Quad comedy

Heartbreaker (pictured) director Pascal Chaumeil will direct Marion Cotillard, Romain Duris and Francois Damiens in the story of a dreamer on the run from the police.

Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou and Laurent Zeitoun of Quad will produce the film based on Zeitoun’s screenplay. Shooting will start next summer and UPI France will release the film in 2012. Kinology is handling international sales.

UPI also announced today that it is co-financing a further two French-language titles – the drama-mystery Des Vents Contraires and drama-thriller Tu Seras Mon Fils.

Currently in production, Tu Seras Mon Fils is written and directed by Gilles Legrand (Malabar Princess, The Maiden And The Wolf) and is being produced by Frederic Brillion at Epithete Films.

Niels Arestrup (A Prophet), Lorant Deutsch (Jean De La Fontaine, Le Cout De La Vie) and Anne Marivin (Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis) star in the Bordeaux-set film about the strained relationship between a father and son.

Des Vents Contraires is an adaptation by Olivier Adam and Jalil Lespert (24 Mesures) of Adam’s novel of the same name. Lespert will also direct.

Audrey Tatou, Benoit Magimel, Ramzy Bedia, Jean-Paul Rouve and Isabelle Carre star in the story of a writer traumatised by the sudden disappearance of his wife who retreats with his children to his coastal hometown to become a better father. Wassim Beji of Wy Productions is producing the film, which is set to start shooting in January.

Both films are scheduled for release in autumn 2011 through UPI France.

Alexander Jooss, senior vice-president of legal and business affairs for UPI, negotiated the deal on all three productions for the studio. Clare Wise, UPI’s executive vice-president of international production, and JJ Lousberg, director of European creative, will oversee all three projects.

“These three new titles on our upcoming French slate give a good sense of the calibre of new and established producing and film-making talent we’re lucky enough to be working with in France at the moment,” Christian Grass, UPI’s president of acquisitions and production, said. “We’re really delighted to be teaming up with Quad and the great creative team behind Heartbreaker again on Vivre and are very excited about the opportunity to work with Wassim and Frederic for the first time on making and distributing Des Vents Contraires and Tu Seras Mon Fils.”

“We carefully select our projects in order to give them the best chance of success,” UPI France managing director Stephane Huard added. “UPI provides a unique service to French productions and it is a pleasure to partner with French producers on such high quality projects.”

Heartbreaker has taken $42m worldwide since its release in March.