The Curious Journey Of Big-Budget Ben Affleck Movie ‘Hypnotic’ Will Continue At The EFM As U.S. Release Plans Emerge
14.02.2023 - 18:51
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Coming into this week’s EFM, Ben Affleck action-thriller Hypnotic was barely on anyone’s radar. However, the movie was quietly one of the market’s X-factors. It’s rare, after all, for a big-budget, finished film with A-list talent and director to still be without a U.S. distributor.
But the Robert Rodriguez-directed project, which wrapped shoot back in 2021, has had one of the more curious and challenging journeys for a big-budget independent film package in recent years.
First announced back at AFM 2019, the $65M project was the flagship package for Mark Gill’s ambitious new mini-studio Solstice, which was due to handle the domestic release. Oscar winner Affleck would play a detective investigating a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program. Pedigree also came from former Warner Bros exec Jeff Robinov who was aboard as producer.
Sin City and Alita: Battle Angel director Rodriguez described the project as “a Hitchcock thriller on steroids…It’s that kind of a movie. A lot of twists, a lot of turns. Very exciting.. It’s one of my favorite stories. I started writing it back in 2002. So it’s one of the ones I’ve had the longest that I’ve been wanting to do.” He teamed up on the script with Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla scribe Max Borenstein.
International buyers flocked to the project, putting up a large portion of its budget. Peacock, we can reveal, also jumped in, committing eight figures in return for domestic pay TV rights. Vibes were good.
“There was a big soiree at the AFM,” a buyer recalls. “Everybody bid hard and it attracted some of the most important international distributors in the market.”
Among cast to join were Alice Braga, William Fichter, JD Pardo, Kelly Frye