Angelina Jolie to Star in ‘Anxious People’ for Director Marc Forster, Hope Studios and Black Bear
Black Bear and Hope Studios today announced that Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie and BAFTA-nominated director Marc Forster (A Man Called Otto, World War Z, Quantum of Solace) are teaming up on the feature adaptation of Anxious People, which reunites the key players behind the 2022 feature adaptation of A Man Called Otto, which grossed over $110 million and has a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove), the story has been adapted for the screen by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter David Magee (A Man Called Otto, Life of Pi, Finding Neverland).
Hope Studios’ Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (A Man Called Otto, Borg vs. McEnroe) and Renée Wolfe (A Man Called Otto, Christopher Robin) of 2DUX2 will produce, with Marc Forster, David Magee and Neda Backman executive producing. Black Bear will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market, with WME Independent handling the US rights.
The synopsis reads: The day before Christmas Eve, investment banker Zara (Jolie) begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house. When a reluctant bank robber inadvertently takes the group hostage, chaos and oversharing ensues, secrets are revealed and literally nothing goes according to plan. A poignant, charming film about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Through an ingeniously constructed story, Anxious People explores the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope — the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.
“To have the phenomenal Angelina Jolie anchoring Anxious People is testament both to the strength of Fredrik Backman’s storytelling, and the team we have assembled around this project including our wonderful partners from A Man Called Otto, including Marc, David and Renée,” said producer Wikström Nicastro. “Fredrik’s novels speak to our shared humanity in a way that really moves audiences, and we’re proud to be able to deliver another heartwarming and hilarious adaptation of his work.”
“Anxious People is a uniquely warm and heartfelt story that speaks to our chaotic times by asking us to step outside of our own stories and slow down enough to actually see one another. It is set a week before Christmas and highlights a time when generosity and giving are values that are more in focus. Sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic and always entertaining, Anxious People is a book that has sold over 6 million copies world-wide and, with Angelina Jolie playing the lead and Marc Forster directing, will surely prove to be a movie that will captivate millions more,” said producer Renée Wolfe.
“I am excited to bring Anxious People to life — it’s a story filled with humor, heart, chaos, and unexpected hope,” commented Marc Forster. “Fredrik Backman has a rare gift for capturing the quiet beauty in everyday people, and I’m thrilled to reunite with the brilliant David Magee to tell this story. We’re incredibly lucky to have Angelina Jolie at the center of it all — she brings such depth and vulnerability to her work.”
“I’m incredibly proud and happy to be a small part of this extraordinary group of talent. Angelina Jolie is, of course, one of a kind. I can’t imagine leaving Zara in better hands,” added Fredrik Backman. “Fredrik Nicastro really had a vision for this story from day one, and to get to see it through the eyes of David Magee, Marc Forster and Renée Wolfe is an absolute dream scenario for Neda and me.”
Hope Studios has offices in Stockholm and London, and develops, finances, produces, and sells international films and TV for the global market. Hope Studios has an overall deal with Black Bear, which partners with the company on international sales and distribution. 2DUX2, owned by Marc Forster and Renée Wolf will also serve as a production company on the film.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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