Sony Pictures Entertainment has optioned the rights to remake A Prophet, the French hit released in the US in 2010, into an English language film to be produced by Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe through the Original Film banner, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film tells the story of a young man’s rise to power in a criminal syndicate after he is mentored by a crime boss. A Prophet was nominated for the Academy Awardยฎ for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 and was honored with the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and nine C๏ฟฝsar Awards (French Oscar), including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Commenting on the announcement, Moritz said, “This is an epic crime saga with compelling characters and original storytelling. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to make an English language version of the film and I am grateful to have the trust of Jacques Audiard and his producers, as well as the writers Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Abdel Raouf Dafri.”
Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “We think A Prophet will translate perfectly for English-speaking audiences. Obviously, we love working with Neal and he has a great track record with this kind of film – we’re confident that our film will excite audiences in the same way that the original material did.”
Neal H. Moritz, the founder of Original Film, most recently produced Fast & Furious 6, which was released this month and had the biggest opening weekend in franchise history. He is currently in post-production on R.I.P.D. He is slated to begin production this year on a remake of Highlander; an adaptation of the beloved children’s book series “Goosebumps”; 22 Jump Street for Sony Pictures, as well as “Fast and Furious 7.” With more than 50 films to Moritz’s credit, his past titles include 21 Jump Street, The Change-Up, Battle: Los Angeles, The Green Hornet, The Fast and the Furious franchise, I Am Legend, xXx, S.W.A.T., Made of Honor, Gridiron Gang, The Bounty Hunter, Evan Almighty, Sweet Home Alabama, Click, Vantage Point, Out of Time, Blue Streak, Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Skulls, Volcano, Urban Legend and Juice. Original Film’s box-office total is more than $2 billion worldwide.
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