EXCLUSIVE: One of the market’s biggest-budget projects, the Will Smith action-crime thriller Sugar Bandits, has sealed multi-million dollar deals across the world ahead of a planned September start date.
Oscar winner Smith, soon to be seen reprising his role in the Bad Boys franchise, will play a former special forces soldier who runs an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston.
As we revealed last week, the movie will be directed by Without Remorse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Gomorrah filmmaker Stefano Sollima, a move that helped lock in deals, some of which formed at the EFM and many of which closed here.
Big international deals include Leonine in Germany and Switzerland; SND in France; Leone Film Group in Italy; Nordisk Film in Scandinavia; Sun Distribution in Spain, South Africa and Latin America; and Vertical Distribution in Ex Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
There were also deals with Selim Ramia & Co in the Middle East; Spentzos in Greece; United King in Israel; Arna Media in CIS; Garsu Pasaulio Irasai in the Baltic States; ATV in Turkey; Filmbridge in Mongolia; Long Shong in Taiwan; Nos Lusomundo in Portugal; Pasatiempo in the West Indies; and Echo Lake for Airlines.
In an eight-figure pact, the biggest commitment came from Amazon Prime Video which has picked up the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and a raft of smaller territories.
Filming on the movie — which has a budget in the $80M range — will take place on locations in Montreal and Boston.
Pic is based on the screenplay and novel Devils In Exile by Chuck Hogan (The Town). Smith and Jon Mone will produce through Westbrook Studios with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing; Stuart Ford will produce for AGC Studios; and Richard Abate (13 Hours) will produce for 3 Arts Entertainment. Sollima’s producing partners Gina Gardini will executive-produce and Ludovico Purgatori will co-produce.
Stuart Ford, whose AGC Studios is fully financing the film, said: “Sugar Bandits is one of the strongest commercial projects to hit the international marketplace this year, and it’s no surprise to us that having welcomed Stefano and his producing partner Gina Gardini onboard just last week we’ve now sealed up top level deals with high caliber distributors all over the world.”
