Bailout expected to start shooting in August

Ealing Metro International and Prescience are to finance and handle worldwide sales on Bailout (working title), a new comedy starring Jack Black and directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Based on the novel The Financial Lives Of Poets, written by Jess Walter, the new film comes billed as a “hysterical, heartfelt tale of how we can reach the edge of ruin — and how we can begin to make our way back”. It will be produced by Michael Besman, Melissa Parmenter, Black, Ben Cooley and Priyanka Mattoo for Ealing Metro.

The Revolution (Parmenter), Ballyhoo (Besman) and Electric Dynamite (Black, Cooley, Mattoo) film is currently in pre-production and is expected to start shooting in August 2011. Additional cast will be announced shortly.

Black plays Matt Prior, who wakes up to find himself jobless, crippled with debt, convinced his wife is having an affair and two weeks away from losing his home.

“We are delighted to be involved with Bailout, starring Jack Black, which will mark the first new project for Ealing Metro after the recent merger of Ealing and Metropolis/Prescience’s respective sales operations,” commented Will Machin, head of Ealing Metro.

Ealing Metro’s current slate includes upcoming productions Trap For Cinderella, a thriller directed by Iain Softley; Nina, a biopic of Nina Simone starring Mary J Blige and comedy Better Living Through Chemistry starring Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Garner and Michelle Monaghan. Projects further down the line include Daniel Barber’s thriller The Account, Peter Cattaneo’s The Long Shot (aka What The Puck), Biyi Bandele’s Half Of A Yellow Sun and Tom Shankland’s Destroyer.

Ealing Metro plans to introduce 12 to 15 new films to market every year, some from Prescience, some from Ealing Studios and some from third party producers.

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