Joffe’s Lovers recaptures spark

Palme D’Or winner Roland Joffe’s epic time travel romance The Lovers, formerly known as Singularity, starring Josh Hartnett is finally completed and will receive its market premiere in Cannes on Corsan’s slate.

This is not the film as Joffe originally planned it when the project was first launched to buyers in 2010.

Not only does the film have a new name. It has also been partly re-cast and partly re-shot. Lead actress Neve Campbell dropped out and was replaced by Tamsin Egerton (who also stars in John Boorman’s Quinzaine title Queen and Country).

“It was obviously one of these difficult productions that one comes across once in a while. We were shooting in three different continents. Our Australian partner went into liquidation,” Corsan CEO and producer Paul Breuls [pictured] commented of the production.

Breuls said that the issues with the liquidators had now been resolved. Corsan is launching it now “as if it is a fresh film”.

“We are very excited about it. In spite of the fact that it was difficult and that we had a lost of misfortunes during production from all kinds of things, we got the film that we wanted. We are very proud of it and it looks amazing,” the Corsan boss enthused of the very long gestating project.

Joffe is expected in Cannes to attend the market premiere alongside some cast members.

The Lovers is part of an eye-catching Corsan Cannes slate that also includes Lee Tamahori’s Emperor starring Adrien Brody, Andy Garcia and Bill Skarsgard. The actor is due in Cannes to promote the historical action epic, due to shoot in the summer.

Corsan is also pre-selling action drama Expiration to which Bruce Willis has been linked.

As a financier and producer, Corsan is also a partner on Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming Silence, due to shoot later this year and sold by IM Global.