Cannes: Tom Hardy As Kray Twins Pic ‘Legend’ Firms Key Sales For Studiocanal

EXCLUSIVE: Much as it did with The Gunman at last year‘s Cannes, Studiocanal has nearly sold out on its hot project of 2014, Legend. The Brian Helgeland-scripted and directed gangster pic that sees Tom Hardy step into dual roles as the infamous Kray twins Ronnie and Reggie, is about 70% sold throughout the world. Among the buyers are Paradise in Russia and Rai in Italy. Those deals are significant with Russia such an increasingly hot market and Rai making very few direct acquisitions in recent years. Earlier in the market, Cross Creek bought Legend for North America. Universal will release through Cross Creek’s distribution deal with the studio. Sales chief Anna Marsh says there was a lot of competition on Legend with the response from buyers that it “was one of the best scripts” they’d come across. Emily Browning is also starring in the film that will follow the rise and fall of the notorious London gangsters in the 50s and 60s. Helgeland came to Cannes with Working Title‘s Tim Bevan and Chris Clark to talk to buyers this week and showed test footage of Hardy playing the twins. Shooting starts in June with a release expected in late 2015. Studiocanal is fully financing Legend in its fifth collaboration with Working Title which is producing. Among the other territories sewn up are Asia, South Africa and much of Europe. Studiocanal is releasing in France, the UK, Australia and Germany. Marsh expects to ink pan-Eastern European and Scandinavian deals imminently.