Bleecker Street has swooped on Relay, acquiring U.S. rights to the high-concept contemporary thriller, starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington, which impressed in its world premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.
Written by Justin Piasecki and directed by David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), the film will be released in theaters sometime next year.
In Relay, Ahmed plays a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (James), needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.
Black Bear fully financed the project and produced alongside Thunder Road Pictures and Sigma Films. Producers include Basil Iwanyk for Thunder Road, Gillian Berrie for Sigma, Teddy Schwarzman for Black Bear, and Mackenzie. Executive producers are Black Bear’s Michael Heimler and John Friedberg, and Thunder Road’s Erica Lee and Charlie Morrison.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Bleecker Street also recently snapped up North American rights to Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s drama The Friend, starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and Bing the Great Dane. The company’s upcoming release slate includes The Return, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, and Mike Leigh’s Marianne Jean-Baptiste starrer Hard Truths, both of which hit theaters on December 6, as well as Love Me starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, which debuts in January. Other upcoming titles include Andrew Ahn’s remake of The Wedding Banquet and the comedy Fackham Hall, which just commenced production in the UK.
Relay‘s deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy with UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. Black Bear reps international rights to the film.
