Focus Features Picks Up ‘Brian And Charles’ – Sundance

Focus Features has taken global rights to Jim Archer’s feature directorial debut Brian and Charles.

They will release domestically with Universal handling offshore territories.

Movie follows Brian, a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, Brian attempts his biggest project yet. Three days, a washing machine, and various spare parts later, he’s invented Charles, an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages.

Film4, which developed and co-funded the pic, will retain free TV rights to the film in the United Kingdom. BFI awarded funds from the National Lottery to the project directed and edited by Archer.

David Earl and Chris Hayward wrote and produced by Rupert Majendie for Mr Box Productions.

EPs are Damian Jones (Absolutely Fabulous The Movie, Lady in the Van), Mary Burke for the BFI, and Lauren Dark and Ollie Madden for Film4.

Variety first had the news about the acquisition.