One of the hottest packages at the EFM has been taken off the table for international.
Sources tell Variety that Prime Video is close to snapping up multiple international rights, excluding the U.S., to Justin Kurzel’s “The Order,” which stars Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult in a story about the titular white supremacist organization that operated in the 1980s. The deal, which is in the eight-figure range, is believed to be in advanced negotiations.
The project is penned by Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated writer Zach Baylin (“King Richard”), who based the screenplay on Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt’s book “The Silent Brotherhood.” Published in 1989, the book details the activities of the radical-right hate group The Order, which was one of the most sinister organizations to emerge in America since the Ku Klux Klan.
In the film, Law plays a lone FBI agent stationed in Idaho who starts piecing together a pattern in a series of violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists terrorizing communities across the Pacific Northwest. Rather than the work of a traditional organized crime unit, he believes a radical group, helmed by a charismatic leader (Hoult), is behind the devastation.
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Director Kurzel is known for crime-centric pics, with his most recent film, “Nitram,” detailing the events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. His other credits include “True History of the Kelly Gang,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Macbeth” and “Snowtown.”
Variety understands that “The Order” is one of many packages and films being pursued on the ground by Prime Video, which is out in full force at the European Film Market despite some uncertainty about how much of a showing the streamers would have in Berlin. Earlier in the week, the streamer also bought Zoe Saldaña and AGBO’s action-survival movie “The Bluff” for international, as revealed by Deadline.
Dealmaking on the ground has so far been quiet, but buyers and sellers entered this year’s EFM — the first in-person market in Berlin since 2020 — with enthusiasm, encouraged by a healthy roster of scripts and packages hitting the market. There have been questions, however, about the extent of dealmaking from the streamers, which only dished out on a few titles at last month’s Sundance.
AGC Studios, which is financing and producing “The Order,” sold international, while CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group are co-representing North America. Production will begin in May in Alberta, Canada.
The Berlinale kicked off on Feb. 16 and runs through to Feb. 26.
