EXCLUSIVE: In the first big deal to go down at the Cannes market, Amazon has swooped on most international rights to Jonathan Bailey and Natalie Portman psychological thriller Pumping Black.
Set in the competitive and cutthroat world of professional cycling, and described as being in the vein of Whiplash and Black Swan, Pumping Black “follows cyclist Taylor Mace, who at 35-years-old is finding himself ageing out of the sport. He is taken under the wing of Andrea Lathe, a doctor driven by her own thirst for victory and power. As the race to the Tour de France progresses, Taylor must take increasingly dark measures to protect his secret.”
We hear this streaming deal is landing in the early-20’s, making it one of, potentially the, biggest deal that will go down on the ground during the market.
Anton is handling international and financing in Cannes where the project is among a handful of in-demand packages being chased by studios and indie buyers, something that bodes well for dealmaking to come. CAA Media Finance is co-repping world rights and brokered Anton’s deal to launch the project.
The film will be directed by Mimi Cave, known for directing 2022 horror Fresh, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, and 2025 comedy-mystery film Holland, starring Nicole Kidman. Cave will direct from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels.
Pic is being produced by Stacey Sher at Shiny Penny (The Hateful Eight), Cave, Anton’s Sébastien Raybaud (Victorian Psycho) and Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas from MountainA (May December). Production is being lined up for the fall.
“Haley’s script immediately pulled us into a visceral, psychological world that feels both thrilling and completely original,” Sher previously said of the project.
In-demand Bridgerton star Bailey is coming off Jurassic World Rebirth and Wicked: For Good. Oscar winner Portman is in post on Lena Dunham’s Netflix movie Good Sex and last year produced and voiced Oscar-nominated animated movie Arco. Anton is at the Cannes festival with UCR horror Victorian Psycho.
