News

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has made one of its highest-profile acquisitions to date with UK & Irish rights to Elegance Bratton’s well-received military drama The Inspection from A24.

Inspired by Bratton’s own story, the TIFF, New York and Lff title follows a young, gay, Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in an unforgiving system. As he battles deep-seated prejudice and the gruelling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in his new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and change his life.

Written and directed by Bratton (Pier Kids) and produced by Effie T. Brown (Dear White People) and Chester Algernal Gordon (Port Authority), the film stars Jeremy Pope (One Night in Miami), Bokeem Woodbine (Halo), Gabrielle Union (Bring It On...

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Kindling, the feature debut from British writer-director Connor O’Hara, has been acquired by Signature Entertainment for the U.K. and Ireland.

The film, produced by Mark Foligno (The King’s Speech, Moon) and Jamie Gamache, was inspired by O’Hara’s short film Infinite starring 1917 lead George MacKay, which was also produced by Gamache under the Lowkey Films banner he established with O’Hara.

Kindling follows Sid (George Somner, Sex Education), who creates a plan to make his final summer unforgettable after receiving a terminal diagnosis. Reuniting with his childhood friends in their hometown, he gives each a category and asks them to find a memento that reflects that word and their friendship. Once they’ve gathered the items, they’ll meet at the end of the week, building a fire together to burn the items they have collected in a ritual that Sid...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired UK and Irish rights to French-language drama Other People’s Children from Wild Bunch International.

The film follows Rachel who loves her life, her students, her friends, her ex, and her guitar lessons. When she falls in love with Ali, she grows close to his 4-year-old daughter, Leila. She tucks her in, looks after her, and loves her like a mother… which she isn’t. Not yet. Rachel is 40. The desire for a family of her own is growing stronger, and the clock is ticking. The movie asks: Is it too late?

Virginie Efira, Roschdy Zem and Chiara Mastroianni lead cast in the latest from Cannes and Venice regular Rebecca Zlotowski.

The film is produced by Frédéric Jouve (An Easy Girl), with Zlotowski (Grand Central) writing and directing. It debuted at Venice and went on to play at Toronto. We debuted the film’s first English-language trailer here.

Stefanie Martini, Emma Appleton star in Andrew Legge’s debut feature.

Signature Entertainment has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Lola, a Second World War sci-fi feature from writer-director Andrew Legge and writer Angeli Macfarlane.

Having acquired the film from sales agent Bankside Films, Signature is planning a theatrical release for 2023. It will work with Robert McCann Finn and Nell Roddy of distributor Break Out Pictures on the Irish release.

Lola debuted out of competition at Locarno Film Festival in August. Set in the UK during the Second World War, the film follows two sisters, played by Stefanie Martini and Emma Appleton,...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired UK and Irish rights to Chris Pine’s directorial debut Poolman from AGC Studios.

The film is led by Star Trek actor Pine and also stars Annette Bening (American Beauty), Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), DeWanda Wise (Jurassic World: Dominion), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), and Ray Wise (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me).

Poolman follows Darren Bannerman (Pine) as a lackadaisical pool boy cleaning the Tahitian Tiki apartment block pool and gate-crashing city council meetings with neighborhood friends Jack and Diane. However, after discovering plans to rob Los Angeles of its water, Bannerman becomes a bohemian detective traversing L.A.’s celebrity and criminal underworlds, taking it upon himself to become the city’s savior.

The mystery-comedy, produced by Ian Gotler (Doula), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Stacey Sher (Django Unchained), and Pine (Star Trek), is directed by Pine who co-wrote with Gotler.

“The Never Ending Murder,” an investigative true crime docu-series about the disappearance of 18-year-old British woman Nicola Payne (pictured above right), has been picked up by Signature Entertainment.

Signature have acquired the global rights to the series, which was made by Fulwell 73, StudioPOW and Picnik Entertainment, and will be selling international rights at upcoming major markets.

The series will be released in the U.K. and Ireland in 2023.

“The Never Ending Murder” re-examines Payne’s disappearance in 1991 in Coventry, U.K., which led to one of the West Midlands Police Force’s largest ever investigations. The series includes interviews with family and friends, including her father John Payne (pictured above left) and eldest brother (and family spokesperson) Nigel Payne, as well as those closely involved with the case, including retired detective Malcolm Ross and Martin Slevin, both of whom were lead investigators at one time.

Mark Radice directs while Venita Kidza produces.

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired UK and Irish rights to Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne and Robert De Niro road-trip comedy Inappropriate Behavior from Mister Smith Entertainment.

The film also stars Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring), Rainn Wilson (The Office), Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost) and William Fitzgerald.

Inappropriate Behavior, which is currently in production, follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), a once-successful late-night comedy writer turned not-so-successful stand-up comic, who moves in with his father (De Niro), having recently blown up his career and marriage. When he and his ex-wife Jenna find themselves at odds with how to address the needs of their 11-year-old autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald), Max decides to kidnap his child and take him on a cross-country odyssey.

The comedy is directed by Tony Goldwyn (The Last Kiss) from a Tony Spiridakis (Queens Logic) screenplay. Goldwyn and Spiridakis also serve as producers along with Jon Kilik...

Shooting underway on the film, which also stars Milo Ventimiglia.

Signature Entertainment has boarded UK-Ireland, France and Scandinavia rights on action-thriller Land Of Bad, as production gets underway on the Gold Coast and in South East Queensland, Australia.

Signature is planning an early 2024 release for the film, which stars Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth.

Directed by Will Eubank, the cast also includes Luke Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia, Ricky Whittle, Daniel MacPherson and Chika Ikogwe.

Land Of Bad is written by Eubank and David Frigerio, who previously co-wrote 2014 sci-fi The Signal, also directed by Eubank.

The duo are also producers on Land...