MGM has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to “Bones and All” a new film reteaming “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino and star Timothée Chalamet.
“Bones and All” was shot in the Ohio Tri-State area in the spring of 2021, and it is the first feature film Guadagnino has filmed set in the U.S. It also stars Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Jessica Harper, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Gordon-Green, Francesca Scorsese and Chloë Sevigny.
No specific release plans were laid out, though Guadagnino said in a statement that the film will be seen “in theaters.” The news comes as last week Amazon closed its deal to acquire MGM and placed MGM’s film group chairman Michael De Luca as part of an interim leadership structure reporting to Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins.
“Bones and All” is a story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages, and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand which will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.
Guadagnino directed the film from a script by his longtime collaborator David Kajganich (“Suspiria,” “A Bigger Splash”), and “Bones and All” is adapted from a novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis.
“I am delighted that MGM, a studio that so clearly loves filmmakers and respects bold vision, is going to bring my movie into the world and that the amazing work of Timothée, Taylor, Mark and the rest of the cast will be seen in theaters,” Guadagnino said. “’Bones and All’ could not be in better hands with Kevin Ulrich, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy at the helm. I am truly proud to be associated with the iconic lion that has roared at the start of so many of my favorite films over the decades.”
“Since his earliest days, Luca has been obsessed with movies, which makes him a kindred spirit to us both. We have long admired his devotion to the kind of cinema that is both admired and passionately discussed by moviegoing audiences,” Michael De Luca, MGM Film Group chairman & Pam Abdy, MGM Film Group president, added. “He is the rare filmmaker whose two-decades long career has spanned countless genres and subjects, and throughout he has remained true to his unique vision. We are equally thrilled to be working with Timothée, Taylor, Mark and this outstanding ensemble cast whose work in ‘Bones and All’ will be a must see on the big screen.”
MGM also has the rights to another upcoming Guadagnino film, “Challengers” starring Zendaya and Mike Faist. Chalamet also had one of his breakout roles in Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name.”
“Bones and All” is a Frenesy Film Company and Per Capita Productions movie in association with The Apartment Pictures – a Fremantle company, Memo Films and 3 Marys Entertainment. The movie is produced by Luca Guadagnino, Theresa Park, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Dave Kaiganich, Marco Morabito, Lorenzo Mieli, Gabriele Moratti and Peter Spears. The movie is also executive produced by Giovanni Corrado, Raffaella Viscardi, Marco Colombo and Moreno Zani.
The film’s financiers are the Italian companies The Apartment Pictures (a Fremantle Company), 3 Marys Entertainment, Memo Films, Tenderstories, Elafilm, Excelsa, Serfis and Wise Pictures.
The sale was handled by WME and Range Media Partners on behalf of Frenesy Film Company, The Apartment Pictures (a Fremantle Company), Memo Films and 3 Marys Entertainment. Vision Distribution will distribute the movie in Italy.