FilmNation will handle international sales for Marc Lawrence’s untitled romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei, the company announced on Wednesday. The deal was made based on Lawrence's script, which chronicles a down and out Englishman who finds love where he'd least expect it.
Grant will star as Ray Michaels, an Oscar-winning screenwriter who ends up divorced, broke and miserable. He takes a job teaching screenwriting at a small East Coast school where he meets a single mother (Tomei) who has gone back to school. Principal photography will begin in early April.
“Romantic comedies of this high caliber are a rarity in the independent film world,” FilmNation Entertainment CEO Basner said in a statement. “Some of the most memorable romantic comedies to date have come from Hugh and Marc’s collaborative creativity which is positively in full swing with this film, and Castle Rock’s track record with this genre speaks for itself.”
Lawrence and Grant previously worked together on "Two Weeks Notice," co-starring Sandra Bullock, and "Music & Lyrics," co-starring Drew Barrymore.
FilmNation adds this film to an expansive selling slate, one that includes upcoming films from Steven Soderbergh, Pedro Almodovar, Anton Corbijn and Alexander Payne. It will start the sales process for the romantic comedy at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
