Voltage Films has cast Oscar winner Russell Crowe in the lead of Gabriele Muccino’s upcoming love story Fathers And Daughters, igniting what is sure to become one of the must-have titles of the AFM.

Voltage is financing the project and serves as producer with Busted Shark Productions of Los Angeles, Crowe’s Fear Of God Films from Sydney, Australia, and Italy’s Leone Films, which will also handle Italian distribution.

Brad Desch will direct the tale of a father and daughter living in New York spanning 25 years. The timeline moves between the 1980s as a famous novellist and widower struggling with mental illness raises his five-year old girl and present day as the grown-up daughter battles her demons.

Voltage is out to casting for the role of the grown-up daughter and pre-production has been scheduled for December.

Sherryl Clark developed the Blacklist screenplay with Desch as one of the first projects through her new company Busted Shark Productions.

Voltage acquired the screenplay and Clark and Voltage’s Craig Flores attached Muccino to direct. Dominic Rustam negotiated the Crowe deal on behalf of Voltage.

Clark produces with Voltage Productions’ Flores and Nicolas Chartier. Crowe and his Fear Of God partner Keith Rodger will serve as executive producers alongside Romilda De Luca. Andrea Leone is co-producer.

Crowe will next be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, and Akiva Goldsman’s Winter’s Tale and is in pre-production on his directorial debut The Water Diviner. He starred in the summer hit Man Of Steel.

“This is a performance-driven movie, and therefore I couldn’t ask for a better actor than Russell to deliver this intensely emotional drama,” said Muccino. “It’s edgy, heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. To me, it feels like a classic American movie that recalls the great character dramas of the 70s like Kramer Vs. Kramer and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

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