Reporting brisk business despite the challenging financial climate, Summit International has virtually sold out Albert and Allen Hughes' $85m upcoming action tale The Book Of Eli.

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group took rights to Australia, Latin America, Spain, Scandinavia and select territories in Eastern Europe.

Tobis acquired rights for Germany, Metropolitan for France and Paradiso for Benelux. Summit International chief Patrick Wachsberger said Italy and the UK had also closed and he expected a deal with Japan to be finalised by early this week.

Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman will star in The Book Of Eli, a post-apocalyptic tale set in America where a lone warrior fights to protect a book that holds the secret to mankind's salvation.

Washington is producing with Joel Silver and Alcon Entertainment's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Shooting is scheduled to commence in February and Warner Bros has set a January 2010 release date for North America.

Meanwhile Tobis has also snapped up German and Paradiso has taken Benelux rights to Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore's $30m multi-generational comedy that Summit boarded shortly before the market.

The Sicilian saga is in post-production and boasts a giant ensemble including Monica Bellucci, Luigi Lo Cascio, Raoul Bova and Lina Sastri. As previously announced, Italy's Medusa and Tarak Ben Ammar's France-based Quinta Communications produced and hold rights for their territories.

Wachsberger confirmed that production on the sequel Step Up 3D is earmarked to get underway early next year.

Buena Vista holds North American rights and plans a February 2010 release in North America on the story of a Maryland School Of The Arts student who bonds with French dancers during a school trip to Paris and teams up with them to enter an underground dance contest. John M Chu will direct.

The project has almost sold out. Universal has first option to acquire for the UK, France and other territories.