Wild Bunch has secured several key deals on Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington’s $20m historical epic Lope, including Optimum for the UK and Concorde for Germany.
Waddington’s film about the early life and loves of 16th century Spanish playwrite Lope De Vega, played by rising star Alberto Ammann (Cell 211), proved hugely popular at the AFM where it was picked up by Optimum for the UK, Concorde for Germany, Transmission Films for Australia and New Zealand, Tele-Munchen for German speaking Europe, Pro Films for Bulgaria, T&F for CIS, Baltic States and Wiesner Distribution and Dominican Republic.
Warner Bros has already taken Brazilian rights to Lope, and Fox has released the film in Spain where it made more than $5m in September and October this year. The film’s cast also includes Lus Tosar, Leonor Watling, Pilar Lopez De Ayala and Antonio De La Torre.
Lope is a co-production between Spanish outfits Ikiru Films, El Toro Productions, Antena 3 Films and Brazil’s Conspiracao Filmes, and has received the backing of Spanish broadcasters TeleMadrid and Canal Plus Espana, who share TV rights with Antena 3. Major Spanish/Brazilian telephone company Telefonica and Warner Bros in Brazil have also supplied funding for the film.
The film took 10 years to make and passed through the hands of some varied players along the way, including Columbia Pictures, major Spanish producer Elias Querejeta and radio and TV corporation Intereconomia.
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