Ryan Reynolds is teaming up with fellow Canuck Atom Egoyan for the filmmaker’s latest film “Queen of the Night.”
The thriller — which will start shooting in early 2013 in Ontario, Canada — is based on an original story by Egoyan. Reynolds will play the father of an abducted child.
The film will be distributed in Canada by Entertainment One (eOne) which will also handle international sales.
Full press release below.
(August 8, 2012, Toronto, Canada) International award-winner Atom Egoyan will direct Ryan Reynolds in the psychological thriller QUEEN OF THE NIGHT. Based on an original story by Atom Egoyan with screenplay by Egoyan and David Fraser, the feature is co-produced by Ego Film Arts and The Film Farm. Principal photography will commence in February 2013 in southern Ontario.
Reynolds plays the father of an abducted child. Eight years after she was taken, a series of disturbing clues convince her father that the now 17 year-old girl remains alive. He is determined to find her.
“I’m very excited about working with Ryan,” says the Academy Award® nominated director. “The richness of his performances in such diverse films as Buried, Safe House and romantic fare such as The Proposal is extraordinary.”
“Atom Egoyan is a provocative filmmaker,” Reynolds notes. “His films demand that we face what is most complex in our own psyches. Chloe, Felicia’s Journey and The Sweet Hereafter all possess the unique and careful touch of a true artist. I look forward to collaborating with him on this project and having an opportunity to observe his innovative directing style first hand.”
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT is produced by Atom Egoyan, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss and Stephen Traynor. The film will be distributed in Canada by Entertainment One (eOne) which will also handle international sales. In France, ARP Selection will distribute QUEEN OF THE NIGHT.
“We are excited to be involved with this project in Canada and internationally and thrilled to be collaborating with Atom once again. eOne’s strategy to handle distribution and sales of independent feature films from Canada and worldwide depends entirely on the content and the film makers. QUEEN OF THE NIGHT represents the premium work that we are always looking to attract and I am delighted that the whole team will have the privilege of working on this,” said Sally Caplan, Managing Director, eOne Films International.
Ryan Reynolds is one of cinema’s most sought after leading men. Alone on screen in Buried, he was gripping as an American contractor buried alive in Iraq. He recently wrapped R.I.P.D. with Jeff Bridges. Based on the comic book by Peter M. Lenko, the film follows a slain cop who joins a team of undead police officers. He starred opposite Denzel Washington in the CIA thriller Safe House. Reynolds has a deft touch with comedy and a lock on complex characters as seen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman, The Proposal with Sandra Bullock, Definitely Maybe with Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks and the complex independent film, The Nines with Hope Davis.
One of the most remarkable figures in contemporary independent filmmaking, Atom Egoyan is the recipient of numerous awards including five prizes at the Cannes Film Festival (including the Grand Prix, International Critics Awards and Ecumenical Jury Prizes), two Academy Award® nominations, eight Genie Awards, prizes from the National Board of Review and an award for Best International Adaptation at The Frankfurt Book Fair. Full retrospectives of his films have been presented in Madrid, Paris and New York. Egoyan won the 2010 Douglas Sirk Award from the Hamburg Film Festival. This is the most recent accolade in a series of career honours from festivals and events in Tokyo, Jerusalem, Reykjavik, Las Palmas, Hong Kong, Cairo and The Panorama of European Cinema in Athens.
The director has been President of film juries in Cannes, Berlin and Venice, as well as a jury member at several other festivals, including Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca.
His films include Next of Kin, Family Viewing, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Chloe. The recipient of four awards from the Toronto International Film Festival, Egoyan has just completed production of Devil’s Knot starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth.
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