‘12 Years A Slave’ & ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Outfit River Road Joins Identity Drama ‘Unicorns’, First Look Revealed With CAA Handling At EFM
10.02.2023 - 20:37
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: 12 Years A Slave and Brokeback Mountain outfit River Road Entertainment has joined Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd’s feature Unicorns as producer and financier.
CAA Media Finance will be selling the project at the upcoming EFM in Berlin.
The cross-cultural romance, directed by The Swimmers filmmaker El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd, from a screenplay by Floyd, is now in post-production.
Today, we can also reveal that the film will co-star emerging British Indian RnB artist Jason Patel alongside the previously announced Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody).
Set against a secretive London subculture, the film follows a queer performer (Patel) living a double life and a single father (Hardy) working as a mechanic, whose lives collide after a chance encounter.
“When Laura Windows, our casting director, introduced us to Jason, we knew we’d found our unicorn. Jason has poured his heart and soul into this. His remarkable chemistry with Ben Hardy sizzles on screen. Ben’s mesmerising performance is truly stellar. This is Ben Hardy unlike you’ve ever seen him,” stated Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd.
Floyd added: “To make my debut as writer/co-director on a story so close to my heart, alongside Sally, my longtime creative partner, is a privilege and beautiful ride.”
Bill Pohlad’s River Road will produce alongside Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray’s Maven Screen Media and Philip Herd’s Chromatic Aberration. Bill Pohlad, Kim Roth, and Christa Workman join Herd, Rattray, and Styler as producers. Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) is executive producer.
Patel, who is queer, has stage credits including Jungle Book and Peter Pan. He was one of BBC Asian Network’s ‘Artists of the Week’ in 2022 and his debut EP will