Cannes: Gavin Hood To Helm ‘Eye In The Sky’ For eOne & Colin Firth’s Raindog Films
Entertainment One is getting ready for a busy Cannes. The Canadian giant will produce and distribute contemporary action thriller Eye In The Sky in association with Colin Firth and Ged Doherty’s Raindog Films. Gavin Hood is directing with Firth attached to star in the ensemble. Firth and Doherty will produce with Xavier Marchand who is heading up the eOne’s new global film production arm. The film is expected to kick off in South Africa on August 11.
Written by BAFTA winner Guy Hibbert (Five Minutes Of Heaven, Omagh) Eye In The Sky centers on London-based military intelligence officer Colonel Michelle Madden who is remotely commanding a top secret drone operation that aims to capture a group of terrorists in Nairobi. The mission suddenly escalates from a “capture” to a “kill” operation when she realizes the targets are about to embark on a suicide mission, which would result in the deaths of many innocent civilians. Meanwhile, American drone pilot Steve Watts is poised to destroy the safe-house when a nine-year-old-girl enters the kill zone. With unforeseen collateral damage factoring into the equation and with the volatility of the situation increasing, Madden must pass the mission’s authority up the “kill chain” to politicians and lawyers, including the British Foreign secretary.
“The use of unmanned aircraft in modern warfare and in the so-called ‘War on Terror’ poses critical questions for us all,” says Firth. “Raindog was launched with the hope of making challenging thoughtful films, and I’m pleased to be a part of an exploration into such a crucial issue.”
Marchand says, “Eye In The Sky showcases what our film group is all about: source a sought-after project with outstanding talent attached, produce it, secure all rights, and handle direct distribution in our territories and sales around the world.” Under Harold van Lier, eOne Films International will handle sales in the U.S. and all foreign territories, save for those where eOne is directly distributing (the UK, Canada, Benelux, Spain, and Australia/New Zealand).
Marchand’s production unit will work closely with the international sales division to leverage eOne’s distribution infrastructure, investing in and financing projects at the source stage. The goal is to finance or co-finance up to eight films per year with strong international potential. EOne SVP Benedict Carver will work closely with Marchand from eOne’s LA office. The growing production unit, headquartered in London, also includes Cassandra Carias who handles business and Laura Wilson who oversees development.