Lionsgate seeks to unload ‘Granite Mountain’ ‘Soldado’ to Sony, Black Label
Black Label and Sony Pictures have confirmed they have joined forces on the high-profile pictures Granite Mountain and Soldado, Deadline reported.
“Sony Pictures will be taking over the distribution of both films in the U.S. and Canada and in select international territories… ” adding Sony is the “likely landing place for both pictures as they were coming unglued from Lionsgate after that distributor and the producer/financier disagreed over release and marketing plans for the pictures.”
Granite Mountain was directed by Joseph Kosinski, a drama about a group of firemen who battled a wildfire in Prescott, Arizona in June 2013 that killed 19 of their crew. It stars Josh Brolin, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges and allegedly received fine test-screening scores. Up until recently, the film was slotted for Sept. 22.
Benicio del Toro in “Sicario”
Stefano Sollima’s Soldado, which is a sequel/prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario. Both were written by Taylor Sheridan and both will feature Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin while dealing with the horrific cause-and-effect of the drug wars along the Mexican border.
The film did not have a release date yet, but it is expected to be the second movie in a potential trilogy.
Forbes is critical of the Soldado premise without Sicario lead Emily Blunt.
“If you take Blunt out of the equation, then Soldado just becomes another macho crime drama/thriller about manly men doing manly things while fighting bad guys and/or committing crimes. I don’t want to get too huffy over an offhand quote, but the notion that screenwriter Tayler Sheridan couldn’t think of anything else to do with Blunt’s lead except have her get kidnapped speaks volumes.”
Forbes concludes: “Maybe Lionsgate and Black Label Media (which financed La La Land) will make a brokered peace and both films will remain in the 2017 slate. Or maybe they will get snapped up by the likes of Weinstein Company, Open Road Films or one of the bigger studios. But as good as these films may be and as much as they may increase Lionsgate’s post-Hunger Games reputation for populist Oscar fare, I won’t blame them if they cut both films loose. The odds are just not in their favor.”
Black Label is run by Molly Smith and Thad and Trent Luckinbill. Lionsgate remains the distributor in foreign territories.
