Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson (PULP FICTION) and two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS) will star in the heartwarming drama, ‘HARRY AND THE BUTLER’, to be directed by George C. Wolfe, winner of the Directors Guild Award for “Lackawanna Blues,” it was announced today by producers Philippe Rivier of Spirit Films and Colin Callender of Playground Entertainment.
The film, written by Damian F. Slattery, will start shooting on location in Louisiana in spring 2014.
‘HARRY AND THE BUTLER’ is the story of Harry (Samuel L. Jackson), a one-time jazz virtuoso living in New Orleans who has given up on his dreams and now spends his days as the mechanic for a derelict rollercoaster and his nights in his makeshift home – a converted train caboose. When his former mentor bequeaths him a large sum of money, Harry – in a drunken celebration –decides to hire himself an aging, down-on-his-luck English butler (Michael Caine) – an act of impetuous generosity that changes their lives forever.
Mimi Steinbauer’s Radiant Films International is handling foreign rights and will introduce the project to buyers at the American Film Market this week.
CAA/ICM Partners are representing North American rights.
“We are very proud to bring together these two great movie icons, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Caine, under the direction of the great George C. Wolfe. HARRY AND THE BUTLER follows in the honorable tradition of so many classic films in which a chance encounter between two disparate characters transforms them forever. This is a deeply moving comedy about two men from very different backgrounds who become unlikely friends and help each other to re-discover themselves,” said producers Philippe Rivier and Colin Callender.
“The great Samuel L. Jackson and the legendary Michael Caine instantly elevate any project they are in and combined, their exceptional talent will make for great chemistry on screen in this moving, humorous story. We expect buyers to embrace this touching and heartwarming film at AFM,” said Mimi Steinbauer.
Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic performances include starring as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, with last year’s critically acclaimed THE AVENGERS grossing over 1.5 billion worldwide and most recently in Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED. His many film credits include JACKIE BROWN, SHAFT, STAR WARS, CHANGING LANES, A TIME TO KILL and PULP FICTION, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His upcoming projects include Spike Lee’s OLD BOY in theatres at the end of November and Columbia Pictures’ ROBOCOP, due out in February 2014. He will reprise his role as Fury in Marvel’s next installment, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, set for release through Disney in April 2014. He has several films in production including BARELY LETHAL with Hailee Steinfeld and Jessica Alba and Matthew Vaughn’s THE SECRET SERVICE opposite Colin Firth.
Two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine received his statuettes for his performances in Lasse Hallström’s THE CIDER HOUSE RULES and Woody Allen’s HANNAH AND HER SISTERS and has been nominated an additional four times for ALFIE, SLEUTH, EDUCATING RITA and THE QUIET AMERICAN. His other credits include starring as Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s global box office phenomenon, THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy, INCEPTION, CHILDREN OF MEN and MISS CONGENIALITY. He is currently filming Nolan’s much anticipated sci-fi film INTERSTELLAR, with Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, a 2014 Paramount Pictures release.
Caine is repped by ICM Partners and 42. Jackson is repped by ICM Partners and Anonymous Content.
George C. Wolfe recently finished shooting YOU’RE NOT YOU starring Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum, Josh Duhamel and Marcia Gay Harden. His first feature film was Warner Bros.’ NIGHTS IN RODANTHE starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. He won the Director’s Guild Award and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Television Movie for “Lackawanna Blues.”
Broadway directing credits include this season’s record-breaking hit Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy that starred Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut, The Normal Heart (Drama Desk Award), Jelly’s Last Jam (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award), Angels In America—Millennium Approaches (Tony® and Drama Desk Award) and Perestroika, (Drama Desk Award), Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk (Tony® and Drama League Awards), Topdog/Underdog (Obie Award), Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 (Drama Desk Award), Elaine Stritch At Liberty (Tony® Award, Unique Theatrical Event), The Tempest, Caroline Or Change and A Free Man Of Color.
He is the writer of the award-winning The Colored Museum, directed Spunk (Obie Award), created Harlem Song for the world famous Apollo Theatre, directed Mother Courage, adapted by Tony Kushner and starring Meryl Streep and conceived/directed a celebration of the American Musical at the White House. From 1993 to 2005 he was the Producer of The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival.
For “Lackawanna Blues” (HBO), he received a National Board of Review Award, an Independent Spirit Nomination for Best First Feature, a Christopher Award and the Humanitas Prize.
Additional awards include Actors Equity Paul Roberson Award, Society of Directors and Choreographer’s Mr. Abbott and Calloway Award, The Dramatist Guild’s Hull-Warner Award, The New Dramatist Outstanding Career Achievement Award. He serves on The President’s Committee For The Arts and The Humanities and was named a living landmark by the New York Landmark’s Conservancy.
Philippe Rivier is an independent producer based in Los Angeles. He started his career in the theater working with legendary stage director/choreographer Roland Petit in Paris with whom he produced HOLLYWOOD PARADISE.
A graduate of New York University film school, Rivier went on to produce over three hundred television commercials and music videos and the critically acclaimed motion picture A DAY IN OCTOBER, which received the Angel award and the Movie guide award of excellence.
He served as executive producer for Production Partners in New York, and for Harmony Pictures in Los Angeles and collaborated with Sony Development in the creation of the entertainment centers METREON in San Francisco and MEDIAGE in Tokyo. Rivier worked as media consultant for TF1 International and was executive producer for Starwatcher Graphics. He developed the series THE LONG TOMORROW based on the comic book by Moebius and produced the pilot for Sony Television.
He acquired the remake rights to the Danish film HARRY AND THE BUTLER and developed an English adaptation with writer Damian F. Slattery. He is currently producing the documentary PRIMA DONNA IN PARIS based on the life of famous French Diva Régine Crespin. Rivier is actively developing new material for film and television through his development company Spirit Entertainment.
Colin Callender is an award-winning film, television and theater producer who founded the New York based production company PLAYGROUND in 2011.
Current television productions include Stephen Poliakoff’s “Dancing On The Edge” starring John Goodman (BBC), “The White Queen” (BBC/Starz) based on the novels by Philippa Gregory starring Max Irons and Rebecca Ferguson, “Dracula” (NBC/Sky) starring Jonathan Rhys Myers and the six hour mini-series adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize winning “Wolf Hall” starring Mark Rylance for the BBC.
On the theater front, Callender was lead producer of Nora Ephron’s Tony award winning Broadway hit Lucky Guy directed by George C. Wolfe starring Tom Hanks. He is the producer of the Harvey Fierstein’s upcoming new play Casa Valentina to be directed by Joe Mantello that opens at The Friedman Theater on Broadway in April 2014.
Prior to PLAYGROUND Callender was president of HBO Films responsible for an array of award winning films from the breakout independent hit MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING to top award winners at the Sundance Film Festival four years in a row including Jeff Blitz’ ROCKET SCIENCE, Josh Marston’s MARIA FULL OF GRACE, Patricia Cardoza’s REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES and Sheri Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s AMERICAN SPLENDOR along with Gus van Sant’s Cannes Film Festival Palme D’Or winner ELEPHANT.
With NEW LINE and Bob Berney he created the independent film distributor PICTUREHOUSE which financed such Oscar winning films as Olivier Dahan’s LA VIE EN ROSE and Guillermo del Toro’s PAN’S LABYRINTH.
Callender currently serves on the board of the NY Public Theater and is a trustee of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is the winner of the WGA Evelyn F. Burkey Award for services to writers, the Humanitas Award, the Geffen Distinction in Theater Award and was awarded the CBE Commander of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for services to the UK film and television industries in the US.
ABOUT RADIANT FILMS INTERNATIONAL
Founded by international sales veteran, Mimi Steinbauer, who is President and CEO, Radiant Films International, is an international sales company funded through private equity sources which acquires and distributes between 6-8 theatrical titles per year.
Radiant’s current slate includes MADAME BOVARY with Mia Wasikowska, Paul Giamatti and Ezra Miller, which is currently shooting in France; RUDDERLESS directed by William H. Macy and starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin and Selena Gomez; WILD starring Tom Hughes and Emma Greenwell; LULLABY starring Garrett Hedlund, Academy Award nominee. Richard Jenkins and four-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams; TRUST ME written/directed by and starring Clark Gregg with Sam Rockwell and Amanda Peet; DECODING ANNE PARKER featuring Samantha Morton and Academy Award winning actress Helen Hunt; RUN, BOY, RUN directed by Academy Award winning director Pepe Danquart; AS COOL AS I AM starring Claire Danes and James Marsden; theteen thriller TAKE DOWN to be directed by Jim Gillespie (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) and THE CITIZEN from filmmaker Sam Kadi.