Global Road Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to “The Secret Garden,” a film adaptation of the beloved British children’s novel, starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters, Rob Friedman, Chairman and CEO of Global Road and StudioCanal announced during the Cannes Film Festival Saturday.
The film is directed by Marc Munden from a script written by Jack Thorne.
“‘The Secret Garden’ is one of the world’s most beloved stories of all time celebrating friendship, nature and the limitless power of childhood imagination,” Friedman said. “We are proud to work with StudioCanal in bringing Marc’s version, starring an incredible cast led by Colin and Julie, to North American audiences and continue the legacy of the touching message that has prevailed for over a century.”
The movie is based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel of the same name, which centers around 10-year-old orphan Mary Lennox, who feels lonely when she’s sent from India to live with her reclusive uncle Archibald (Firth) and his strict housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Walters) in a mysterious Yorkshire manor. Her curiosity leads her to disobey the adults and explore the forbidding house. While roaming the grounds she discovers an enchanted garden that has been hidden for years and reflects her limitless imagination. With local boy Dickon, her sick cousin Colin and a playful stray dog, she unlocks secrets from the past, revealing a new life of hope and friendship.
“The Secret Garden” is financed by StudioCanal, and hails from Heyday Film’s David Heyman and Rosie Alison, with StudioCanal’s Didier Lupfer, Danny Perkins, and Dan MacRae executive producing. The acquisition was negotiated by John Zois, Global Road Entertainment’s Head of Worldwide Acquisitions & Co-Productions and StudioCanal. StudioCanal will handle international sales for the film. Principal photography on “The Secret Garden” began April 30 in the U.K.
“We are delighted to find a partner in Global Road and to work with Rob and his incredible team to bring Marc Munden’s fantastical reimagining of ‘The Secret Garden’ to North American audiences,” Anna Marsh EVP International Distribution for StudioCanal. “They quickly understood and shared our passion for and commitment to this incredibly special film.”