STX today announced Prime Video has acquired the distribution rights across a majority of international territories to director Guy Ritchie’s next project starring Jake Gyllenhaal, with the film set to begin principal photography on January 24 in Alicante, Spain. STX handled international sales on the film and facilitated the production and financing of the motion picture for Ritchie.
Prime Video will distribute the title across Europe, Australia, Canada, Latin America, and South Africa, and in the post-theatrical window in the US. The film has additionally been sold to key local distributors in the rest of the world, including to Kinopoisk for Russia and CIS.
In the film, Gyllenhaal will play Sgt. John Kinley, who is on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan when he is teamed with local interpreter Ahmed to survey the region. When their unit is ambushed on patrol, Kinley and Ahmed are the only survivors and with enemy combatants in pursuit, Ahmed risks his own life to carry an injured Kinley across miles of gruelling terrain to safety. Back on US soil, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given passage to America as promised. Determined to protect his friend and repay his debt, Kinley returns to the warzone to retrieve Ahmed and his family before the local militias reach them first.
The film continues Ritchie’s successful relationship with STXfilms, who teamed with the director on both The Gentlemen and the upcoming Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, both starring Jason Statham and Hugh Grant, in theatres March 18.
Ritchie will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. Ritchie and Atkinson are also producing the film via their Toff Guys production banner alongside Josh Berger and STXfilms’ John Friedberg. Olga Filipuk will executive produce for Yandex-owned Kinopoisk, who is also the all-rights distributor in CIS territories, and marks the first time a Russian streaming service has played an instrumental role in the co-financing of a global film by a top international director.
“Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic talent. At last I have found a perfect project on which we can collaborate,” said Ritchie.
“This will be our third collaboration with Guy and STX is proud to be in a position to support extraordinary filmmakers like him, especially when working with such strong material – I’m thrilled that we were able to put this film together alongside Ivan and Josh,” said Friedberg.
“Guy Ritchie is one of the most beloved directors in Russia. Supporting a top global filmmaker with a massive following in Russia is a key strategic step for Kinopoisk as we commence developing and co-producing international projects. We are excited to begin our relationship with Guy, Josh and Ivan on such an important film,” said Olga Filipuk.
