LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions have travelled over the rainbow and landed in Cannes to partner on their 8th collaboration in the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to the highly-anticipated Judy Garland movie “Judy,” directed by Tony nominee and two-time Olivier winner Rupert Goold (“King Charles III”) and starring Academy Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Renee Zellweger (“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Cold Mountain” and “Chicago”). Ms Zellweger is joined by a terrific ensemble cast that includes Finn Wittrock (“American Horror Story”), Jessie Buckley (“Beast”) and Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter”).
Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland arrives in Swinging London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk of the Town. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through. Even her dreams of romance seem undimmed as she embarks on a courtship with Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband. Featuring some of her best-known songs, the film celebrates the voice, the capacity for love, and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer.”
The acquisition was jointly announced today by Mickey Liddell of LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions co-founders Howard Cohen & Eric d’Arbeloff: “Judy Garland remains one of the quintessential legends of stage and screen and this chapter of her life is particularly riveting” said Cohen, d’Arbeloff and Liddell. “From the incredible early footage that we saw in Cannes, Renee delivers a remarkable performance. As the first feature film about Judy Garland, we believe ‘Judy’ will be event movie going for a broad audience and we are thrilled that our enthusiasm and ambition for the film made the difference in acquiring such a hotly pursued Cannes title. We could not be more excited to be partnering again to distribute this film in the United States.”
Principal photography wrapped two weeks ago and Judy is scheduled for completion and delivery in 2019. The film is directed from a script by Tom Edge (“The Crown”) based on the stage play “End of the Rainbow” by Peter Quilter. It is a Pathé, BBC Films and Ingenious Media presentation of a Calamity Films Production. BAFTA winner David Livingstone produces for Calamity and Executive Producers include Cameron McCracken for Pathé, Rose Garnett for BBC Films and Andrea Scarso for Ingenious. Pathé is distributing Judy in the U.K., France and Switzerland and has handled international sales throughout the rest of the world.
LD and Roadside have partnered on a successful run of films which include critical and commercial successes. The companies have creatively collaborated on releasing and producing films such as “I Can Only Imagine,” which became the top independent film of the last year, and “Albert Nobbs” and “Biutiful,” which together garnered Roadside and LD five Academy Award nominations, including recognition for Best Actress and Best Actor.
In the negotiation with Pathe, LD Entertainment was represented by Liddell; Roadside Attractions by Cohen; and Pathe by McCracken.
About Pathé
Pathé operates as a film studio in France, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It is involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from development and production through to international sales, distribution and exhibition. Films produced/distributed by Pathé range from “The Queen” to “Slumdog Millionaire” and from “Philomena” to “Selma.” In recent years Pathé’s productions have won 13 Oscars (46 nominations) and 16 BAFTAs (66 nominations).
Pathé International handles the international marketing and sales of Pathé’s own productions. As one of Europe’s leading sales agents, Pathé International has a significant presence at all major film markets and festivals.
About Roadside Attractions
Since its founding in 2003, ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS films have grossed over $300M and garnered nineteen Academy Award nominations. Roadside has released such critical and commercial hits as “Manchester by the Sea,” “Beatriz at Dinner,” “Stronger,” “Love & Friendship,” “Hello My Name is Doris,” “Mr. Holmes,” “Love & Mercy,” “A Most Wanted Man,” “Dear White People,” “The Skeleton Twins,” “All Is Lost,” “Mud,” “Winter’s Bone,” “The Cove,” “Arbitrage,” “Margin Call” and “Super-Size Me.” Its upcoming slate includes Whitney, Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald’s highly anticipated documentary about the life and career of legendary superstar Whitney Houston, “Lizzie,” starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart, and Jesse Peretz’s romantic comedy “Juliet, Naked” starring Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd.
About LD Entertainment
LD Entertainment is an independent film studio that finances the development and production of elevated and thoughtful films and television. Founded in 2007 by veteran television and film executive Mickey Liddell, LD Entertainment has produced numerous award winning films covering all genres. LD’s recent films include the Academy Award nominated “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman and directed by Pablo Larrain, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” starring Jessica Chastain and directed by Niki Caro, “Megan Leavey” starring Kate Mara and directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, and “Forever My Girl” starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe. Past films include Anthropoid, with Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan, “The Grey” starring Liam Neeson, and “Risen” starring Joseph Fiennes and Cliff Curtis. LD also produced and received Oscar nominations for the poignant and complex films “Biutiful” starring Javier Bardem and “Albert Nobbs” starring Glen Close. LD Entertainment is currently in post-production on the ensemble family comedy Dog Days, directed by Ken Marino which is set to release this summer.