Affinity takes on Drive with Ryan Gosling, Nicolas Winding Refn

Affinity International president of worldwide distribution Brian O’Shea arrives on the Croisette with the marquee commercial title Drive, an action thriller starring Ryan Gosling that Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson) will direct.
 
Marc Platt will produce alongside Gigi Pritzker of OddLot Entertainment and Michel Litvak of Bold Films, marking the first time the two companies will co-produce and co-finance a project since they launched sales entity Affinity International in late 2009.
 
President of Marc Platt Productions Adam Siegel is also producing and David Lancaster, Gary Michael Walters, Bill Lischak and Linda McDonough will serve as executive producers.
 
Gosling, also starring in Blue Valentine in Cannes Official Selection, will play a loner Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver and lands in hot water when he helps the ex-con boyfriend of his beautiful neighbour.
 
Hossein Amini, who earned an Academy Award nomination for The Wings Of The Dove, wrote the screenplay based on the James Sallis crime novel of the same name.
 
Executive vice-president of business affairs Aaron Michiel represented OddLot, attorney Miles Mogulescu negotiated on behalf of Bold Films, and attorney Karl Austen on behalf of Marc Platt.
 
WME Global chief Graham Taylor and Alexis Garcia brokered the deal and will handle North American sales.
 
“We are excited to bring such a high calibre project to our buyers in Cannes,” O’Shea said. “With the explosive mixture of a highly commercial script, Marc Platt’s producing expertise, the powerful direction of Nicolas Refn and Hollywood’s best young actor Ryan Gosling, Drive is one of the hottest new titles at this year’s market.”
 
“Drive is a muscular movie that hearkens back to the days of Bullitt and The French Connection, movies where the characters were as real as the action,” Platt added. “With Nicolas Winding Refn, the world’s most visceral director at the helm, and Ryan Gosling in the leading role, we will achieve what many movies try for, but few manage: an authentic, thrilling action film with a real character at the centre.”