EXCLUSIVE: Venezuelan Filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz, best known for Resistance and Hands of Stoneyou have signed on to direct the feature cottonwood for Eric Paquette’s Meridian Pictures.
The film will be produced by Paquette, Aaron Barnett, and The Exchange’s Brian O’Shea, with Claudine Jakubowicz serving as executive producer. The Exchange will be handling worldwide sales and arranging financing.
The story follows a single dad who left his troubled past behind but must confront his dark history when his former mentor, a dangerous gangster, resurfaces. As the mentor’s loyalty to him is tested, he becomes the target of the gangster’s own bloodthirsty son, forcing him to protect his 13-year-old son from a relentless killer.
Jakubowicz was the winner of the German Film Peace Prize 2020 for his film Resistance. His film Express kidnapping was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the British Independent Film Awards, and Hands of Stone premiered at Cannes. His literary saga of him, The Adventures of Juan Planchardis a Spanish-language bestseller.
“It’s safe to say that I’ve been trying to work with Jonathan ever since I saw Express kidnapping,” Paquette said. “He has a great sense of story, and vision, and creates the perfect environment for actors to do their best work. “I’m excited to make this movie with him.”
Screenwriters are Brandon and Kurtis Birtell, who wrote The Man from Nowhere for New Line/8711. They also wrote the reboot of The Scorpion Kingas well as AMBUSHa feature about a Yemeni military
ambush, for ImageNation with Pierre Morel directing.
Meridian recently produced The Silent Hour, starring Joel Kinnaman and Mark Strong, which sold to Paramount’s Republic Pictures. They are in prep on Robert Lorenz’s Pope Alpha 333and Meridian Television has Ryan Murphy’s Dr. Odyssey premiering in the fall on ABC.
The Exchange is currently in production on Tow, starring Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Ariana DeBose, and Dominic Sessa. They are also representing worldwide sales rights on fruit cakestarring Jennifer Garner and directed by Max Winkler at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.
Brandon and Kurtis Birtell are repped by Charlie Ferraro at UTA and Josh Kesselman at Sugar23. Jakubowicz is repped by Nick Lafferty and Josh Lieberman CAA and Erik Hyman at Paul Hastings.
