Sony Pictures and STXinternational to handle Black Label's new film DEVOTION
Sony Pictures to distribute in North American and STXinternational to handle international sales for Black Label’s new film DEVOTION directed by JD Dillard and starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell that will start shooting in February 2021.
Black Label Media are gearing up to start production on director JD Dillard’s (Sweetheart) historical war epic Devotion. The true story stars Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods, ‘Lovecraft Country’) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Hidden Figures) as elite US Navy fighter pilots, Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner. Dillard will direct from a screenplay written by Jake Crane and Jonathan A. Stewart with revisions by Dillard and based on the book by Adam Makos. Principal photography is set to commence in February 2021.
Devotion will be produced by Molly Smith, Rachel Smith, Thad Luckinbill and Trent Luckinbill for Black Label Media (La La Land, Sicario), who are also fully financing. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the film, and Sony Pictures will distribute in North America. STXinternational, a division of STX Entertainment, is handling international distribution on the highly anticipated film, as well as directly distributing in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal with STX.
In 1950, as the Cold War threatens international peace and racial inequality creates tension across the US, two young pilots from different worlds are accepted into an elite squadron for training – one is Tom Hudner, a clean-cut, all-American soldier who decided to forgo Harvard to join the Navy. The other is Jesse Brown, a fiercely talented pilot, who would become the first African American to fly in combat for the US Navy. Initiated together into the VF-32 squadron, Tom and Jesse are pushed to their limits to become the best pilots, testing and flying a new design of fighter jets. Within the tight brotherhood of the squadron, Tom and Jesse form a firm friendship; one that will be tested on the heated battlefield, when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines. A human story of bravery, sacrifice and brotherhood, Devotion is an intense, thrilling, and ultimately moving story about two of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with both Sony Pictures and STX International to bring this epic story to the big screen. JD Dillard is one of the most exciting filmmakers in the business and brings an extraordinary vision to this film in combination with our talented cast,” said Black Label Media’s Molly Smith.
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About Black Label Media
Black Label Media was formed in 2013 by partners Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill to finance and produce bold films with commercial appeal. Credits include three-time Academy Award-nominated “Sicario” (directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin), “Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado” (directed by Stefano Sollima, starring Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin), “12 Strong” (directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña), “Only the Brave” (directed by Joseph Kosinski, starring Josh Brolin and Miles Teller), “Demolition” (directed by Jean Marc Vallée, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts), “71” (directed by Yann Demange, starring Jack O’Connell), “The Good Lie” (directed by Philippe Falardeau, starring Reese Witherspoon), “Rebel in the Rye” (directed by Danny Strong, starring Nicholas Hoult) and “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” (directed by Ian Samuels, starring Shannon Purser and Noah Centineo). Black Label also acquired an interest in “Begin Again” (written/directed by John Carney, starring Kiera Knightley and Mark Ruffalo) and co-financed and Executive Produced the Academy Award-winning “La La Land” with Lionsgate. Up next on their slate is Peter Sattler’s “Broken Diamonds” starring Ben Platt and Lola Kirke and Derek Kolstad’s “Time Agent.”
About STXinternational
STXinternational is a division of ErosSTX (NYSE:EROS) a global entertainment company that acquires, co-produces and distributes films, digital content & music across multiple formats such as theatrical, television and OTT digital media streaming to consumers around the world. The company was formed in July 2020 through the merger of two international media and entertainment groups, Eros International Plc and STX Entertainment. Merging one of the largest Indian OTT players and premiere studio with one of Hollywood’s fastest-growing independent media companies has created an entertainment powerhouse with a presence in over 150 countries. ErosSTX delivers star-driven premium feature film and episodic content across a multitude of platforms at the intersection of the world's most dynamic and fastest growing global markets, including US, India, Middle East Asia and China. The Company owns subsidiaries including STXfilms and also owns the rapidly growing OTT platform Eros Now which has rights to over 12,000 films across Hindi and regional languages and had 196.8 million registered users and 29.3 million paying subscribers as of March 30th, 2020. For further information, please visit Erosplc.com or STXentertainment.com until the company launches its new ErosSTX.com site and logo in September.
