The enticing on-screen pairing of Oscar winner Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz made the caper one of the more sought-after acquisition titles.

Add in the fact that Joel and Ethan Coen reworked the screenplay from the 1966 original starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine and it is easy to see why Gambit was arguably the hottest title at the EFM in Berlin last month.

The US deal was brokered with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers and represents a coup for CBS Films, which has struggled to gain a meaningful foothold in the domestic market since launching in 2007.

Shooting is set to begin in London in May. Firth will play an art curator who plots to swindle a wealthy art dealer.

Glen Basner’s FilmNation sold out international rights in Berlin, where sales concluded with Alliance Films, among others. The Alliance deal positions the film with Momentum in the UK, Aurum in Spain and Alliance in Canada.

Michael Hoffman will direct and Mike Lobell is producing alongside Crime Scene Pictures partners Adam Ripp and Rob Paris, who are also financing. 

Topics