Vertical Entertainment Acquires Shailene Woodley Thriller ‘Misanthrope’ Marking ‘Wild Tales’ Helmer Damián Szifron’s First English-Language Feature

Vertical Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Misanthrope, a psychological thriller marking the first English-feature from BAFTA-winning Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales). The indie distributor has slated the film starring Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (The Outsider) and Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo (Babylon) for release exclusively in theaters nationwide in the first half of 2023.

The film written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham picks up in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, as a talented but troubled police officer (Woodley) is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a mass murderer.

Pic’s producers are Szifron, Woodley, Aaron Ryder and Stuart Manashil. Its exec producers are Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Milan Popelka, Michael A. Jackman, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Russ Posternak and Jane Sinisi. FilmNation Entertainment and Rainmaker Films financed the film, with the former also handling worldwide sales.

“Misanthrope is a film that revitalizes one’s love for independent filmmaking, from the direction down to cinematography. Every actor’s performance is captivating and pivotal to the story being spun,” remarked Vertical Entertainment Partner, Peter Jarowey. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with FilmNation to bring this edge-of-your-seat thriller to screens everywhere.”

Read the full article on Deadline.