Umbrella takes Michael Fassbender thriller Trespass Against Us for Australia

Umbrella Entertainment has pre-bought Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson heist-thriller Trespass Against Us from Protagonist Pictures.

The deal was negotiated by Protagonist’s Dave Bishop, Umbrella consultant and Coffee & Cigarettes director Eduardo Panizzo, and Umbrella’s Jeff Harrison.

Shoot is due to get underway in the UK this summer with additional cast recently joining the film including Rory Kinnear (Skyfall), Lyndsey Marshal (The Hours), Sean Harris (Prometheus) and Killian Scott (Calvary).

The in-demand thriller, which is set to be 12 Years A Slave star Fassbender’s next film, will mark the feature debut of TV and music videos director Adam Smith (Doctor Who) and is written by Alastair Siddons who produces alongside Gail Egan (The Constant Gardener) and Andrea Calderwood (The Last King of Scotland). The film was developed in association with Film4 with funding from The BFI and LipSync.

The Chemical Brothers will write and perform the original score.

The story is set across three generations of the rowdy Cutler family, who live as outlaws - hunting hares, ram-raiding stately homes and taunting the police. As the letter of the law finally catches up with Chad (Fassbender), he is torn between the archaic principles of his father (Gleeson) and what he believes is best for his children.

Panizzo commented: “This acquisition represents Umbrella’s desire to strengthen their stronghold in the theatrical distribution landscape. We are thrilled to be working with not only Protagonist Pictures but also Film4 and Potboiler Productions on such an exciting project.”