Broad Green Confirms Terrence Malick Deal Starting With ‘Knight Of Cups’ – Update

UPDATE, 10:40 AM: Broad Green confirms Deadline’s earlier exclusive, announcing that it has acquired U.S. rights to Terrence Malick’s Knight Of Cups and a second, untitled film. Broad Green adds that the deal “marks the beginning of a partnership between Broad Green Pictures and Malick’s team, creating a collaborative home for the innovative filmmaker.”

PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE, SUNDAY AM: In a splashy deal worth nearly $7 million for U.S. rights, Broad Green has bought the Terrence Malick-directed Knight Of Cups, and the director’s next untitled film, which is in post production.

The deal was struck just before Malick’s movie made its premiere in Berlin. Christian Bale is part of the ensemble for both of these films, and the Knight of Cups cast includes Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett and Joel Kinnaman.

The untitled film that is part of the deal also stars Portman, Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Benicio Del Toro, proving that Malick and his scripts continue to be catnip for top actors who grew up loving his visionary films. Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green and Ken Kao produced Knight of Cups.

Both of the Malick films are at Berlin with foreign sales being handled by FilmNation. WME Global and CAA are the agencies handling the domestic deal. Broad Green was started by entrepreneurs Gabriel and Daniel Hammond, who are still in the process of staffing up.

The company makes this deal in the wake of another in which the upstart joined IMAX as financiers and distributors of Voyage of Time, the epic Malick film that has Brad Pitt narrating. Their plan is to empower top filmmakers and this is certainly a statement-making start in that direction. After a succession of all nighters at Sundance, deal makers from CAA worked with WME and burned the midnight oil to knock this one out.

This is the second big distribution deal struck at Berlin, after Lionsgate acquired Freeheld,  a deal brokered by the same agencies. Their employers should remember this come bonus time.