RAI Cinema Pounces on Ron Howard Thriller ‘Origin of Species’ at Cannes

from Italy RAI cinemawho has four titles in this year’s Cannes selection, has closed an agreement on Ron HowardThe next ‘Origin of Species’ film, a hot project in the Cannes market starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Ana de Armas, Jude Law and Alicia Vikander.

RAI Cinema boss Paolo Del Brocco said the company, which is the film arm of Italian state broadcaster RAI, has partnered with Rome-based Lucisano Media Group to acquire the Italian rights to CAA Media Finance in Howard’s survival thriller written by Noah Pink (“Tetris”) about a group of eclectics who turn their backs on civilization and head to the Galapagos.

In Cannes, RAI Cinema also acquired Gaumont’s Italian rights to the family film “Moon The Panda” by French human and animal adventure specialist Gilles de Maistre, known for “Mia and the White Lion.” and “The Wolf and the Lion.” De Maistre’s latest film, about the friendship between a boy and a panda, will be filmed later this month in China’s Sichuan mountains.

speaking to Variety, Del Brocco said he was particularly proud that RAI Cinema was co-producing and distributing locally the three Italian films competing at Cannes: Nanni Moretti’s “A Brighter Tomorrow,” Marco Bellocchio’s “Kidnapped” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera.” ”“ For us it is huge that we are bringing so much Italian cinema, and such diverse works, to Cannes, ”he said.

But Del Brocco is also pleased that Italy has the distinction of being the only country in the world where Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” will not be released theatrically via Paramount. Instead, Scorsese’s latest will be released in Italian theaters on October 19 by RAI Cinema’s 01 distribution unit. That’s because Leone Film Group and RAI Cinema jointly acquired the Italian rights to the period thriller from Imperative Entertainment when Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio were still in the early stages of development on “Killers” along with Imperative co-founders Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.

Other titles in RAI Cinema’s extensive slate with strong international elements include Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return,” a gritty retelling of Odysseus’ return home from the war that reunites “The English Patient” co-stars Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, which recently began shooting in Greece; Piero Messina’s English-language science fiction film “Another End,” starring Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person in the World”); and Saverio Costanzo’s “Finally L’Alba,” in which Lily James plays a 1950s Hollywood star at Cinecittà, which is expected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.