“Ibelin,” from the “CODA” team of Vendôme Pictures and Pathé, has found its stars.
Charlie Plummer, Isabela Merced, Stephen Graham, Toni Collette, Maisy Stella and Sir Anthony Hopkins have all been slated for “Ibelin,” which will be directed by “The Imitation Game” filmmaker Morten Tyldum and was written by BAFTA nominee Ilaria Bernardini and “Drive” writer Hossein Amini. It is based on the blog “Musings of Life” by Mats Steen, who created an alter ego in the World of Warcraft game called Ibelin.
Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are producing alongside Jérôme Seydoux at Pathé and Tyldum and Guri Neby for Neby-Tyldum AS. Vendôme and Pathé are financing the film. Sarah Finn is the casting director and serves as an executive producer. Black Bear is representing the international sales rights, while CAA Media Finance represents the domestic rights and will be introducing to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. Principal photography will take place in Europe in 2026.
The official synopsis reads: “I–B–E–L–I–N. Six letters. That’s all Mats typed when creating his virtual alter ego — unaware they would come to define his entire world. In the vast digital realm, Ibelin was admired by thousands for his humor, kindness, and courage. Behind the screen, Mats was just the same — except for one thing: he lived with a degenerative muscular disease that slowly took away his body, but never his spirit. At home, his loving, funny, slightly chaotic family feared he was withdrawing from the world. But Mats proved them wrong — he wasn’t escaping life. He was redefining it. ‘Ibelin’ is a celebration of life — tender, funny, and profoundly moving; a heartfelt family story intertwined with an epic adventure that explores the power of friendship and the invisible threads that connect us all.”
If the story sounds familiar, it’s probably because there has already been a deeply moving documentary on the subject, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, where it won two awards, and was picked up by Netflix. It also won a Peabody Award.
“’Ibelin’ is a sensational story which will be told by a remarkable group of storytellers, first and foremost, Morten, who has a rare ability to evoke emotions with films like ‘The Imitation Game’and epics such as‘Passengers’ and ‘Silo’,” says Rousselet. “We have assembled a formidable cast, and with our frequent collaborators at Pathé, and the team at Black Bear, are confident this will be a film that will resonate with buyers and audiences everywhere.”
Tyldum is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content and Vendôme. Plummer is represented by Gersh, Untitled, and Peikoff Mahan. Graham is represented by Independent Talent Group and Link Entertainment. Collette is represented by CAA, United Management and Finley Management. Merced is represented by CAA and Peikoff Mahan. Stella is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Hopkins is represented by Independent Talent Group and UTA. Bernardini is represented by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Amini is represented by WME.
