Living — a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru that stars Bill Nighy — has sold to Sony Pictures Classics in North America and multiple other territories.
Screening in the Sundance Film Festival’s premieres section, Living was written by Kazuo Ishiguro and follows an ordinary man who, at the 11th hour, makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful.
Set in 1953, the logline for the film reads: “A London shattered by WWII is still recovering. Williams (Nighy), a veteran civil servant, is an impotent cog within the city’s bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild. Buried under paperwork at the office, lonely at home, his life has long felt empty and meaningless. Then a shattering medical diagnosis forces him to take stock — and to try and grasp fulfillment before it goes beyond reach.”
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of the film called it a “sturdy and thoughtful drama, anchored by a moving lead performance from Bill Nighy and elevated by a handsome sense of style.”
Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp and Tom Burke also star in the movie that is directed by Oliver Hermanus. Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen produced via Number 9 Films, which is also behind the upcoming Sony Pictures Classics drama Mothering Sunday. Kurosawa Productions executive produced, with financing coming from Film4, County Hall Arts and Lipsync.
Sony Pictures Classics also took the rights to Living for Latin America, India, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Germany, South Africa, Southeast Asia and airlines, worldwide.
CAA Media Finance and Rocket Science negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
Source: Hollywood
