‘Monsanto’ By John Lee Hancock.
“Saving Mr. Banks” director John Lee Hancock directed a legal drama titled “Monsanto”. Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern are starring in the lead. This was one of the buzzy packages at Cannes which was acquired by Netflix. The screenplay was penned by Michael Wisner, Alexandra Duparc, Ned Benson and Hancock. Adam McKay’s (Vice, Don’t Look Up) Hyperobject Industries are producing.
Hancock has got one of the most popular names in Hollywood right now — Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters). The film also stars the next Captain America; Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), and Academy Award winner Laura Dern (Jurassic Park, Marriage Story). additional cast is yet to be announced.
Synopsis: Monsanto tells the true story of young untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell) who takes on the seemingly insurmountable case against the giant U.S chemical company Monsanto on behalf o Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie) who used Monsanto’s best-known product Roundup, a wildly financially successful weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. During the trial, Dr Melinda Rogers (Dern), the chief toxicologist of the Monsanto Company, testifies with certainty that Roundup is safe.
The film’s screenplay was developed in association with Karl Spoerri’s Zurich Avenue and penned by Wisner, Duparc, Benson and Hancock.
Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance launched foreign sales out of Cannes market.
Netflix tied up a deal in the $34 million range for “Monsanto” Deadline reported. CAA Media Finance cut the presale and negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. Netflix had been quieter at recent markets but is back at the table with a splashy deal.
This and Apple’s worldwide deal for Everest Sherpa film “Tenzing” are the two biggest deals to emerge from the Cannes market so far. The latter is understood to be in the $40 million range.
Commenting before Cannes, Hancock said; “I was drawn to this contemporary David vs Goliath true story because I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world. My ambitions are to deliver a smart, thoughtful and commercial legal drama that takes the audience on a human journey.”
Hancock directed Sandra Bullock’s Best Actress Oscar winning title “The Blind Side” on which he wrote and received an Academy Award nomination. his directing credits include “Saving Mr. Banks” starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, one of A.F.I.’s Top Ten Film of the Year; “The Highwaymen” with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson and the recent “The Little Things” starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto.
“Monsanto” is currently in production.
