Patricia Arquette’s Cannes Drama ‘The Wannabe’ Lands Entertainment One for US Distribution

Vincent Piazza and Michael Imperioli also star in Nick Sandow’s film about a mafia-obsessed duo

Electric Entertainment

Entertainment One has scooped up U.S. distribution rights for “The Wannabe,” Patricia Arquette‘s first film since winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Boyhood” in February, TheWrap has learned.

Co-starring “Boardwalk Empire”‘s Vincent Piazza and “The Sopranos” alum Michael Imperioli, director Nick Sandow’s drama follows a duo obsessed with American mafia culture. Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer, with lead producers in Piazza, Lizzie Nastro and Michael Gasparro.

Dean Devlin and Traction Media are also billed as EPs, with Electric Entertainment fully financing the project. Devlin’s Electric sales outfit continues to shop international rights at the Cannes Film Market.

Piazza’s character attempts to fix the jury in the real-life 1990s prosecution of John Gotti, when best laid plans go awry and he and Arquette’s local gal get some authentic mob action of their own. The film was first shown at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

“Piazza is believably pathetic – and as the tougher, smarter, but no less damaged part of this odd couple, Patricia Arquette creates a touching portrait of a woman who can only tough it out for so long before she too reaches for a way to escape,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote at Tribeca in April.

Sandow be seen in front of the camera come June, when “Orange Is The New Black” returns for a third outing on Netflix. He plays a jailer with a soft spot for the inmates on the Taylor Schilling series.

See exclusive stories and pictorials from TheWrap Magazine: Cannes Edition:

Isabelle Huppert (Sandro Baebler)
Sandro Baebler

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