EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios is in advanced negotiations to land worldwide distribution rights to Hello & Paris, the rom-com set to unite Oscar winner Javier Bardem and two-time nominee Kate Hudson.
Production is due to begin later this month on the movie, which is loosely inspired by Deborah McKinlay’s novel That Part Was True. Two-time Best Picture nominee Finola Dwyer (Brooklyn) is producing alongside Fifth Season.
Elizabeth Chomko (What They Had) will write and direct the project, which is Hudson’s first movie since her Oscar nomination earlier this year for her role opposite Hugh Jackman in Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue.
Described as being “in the vein of Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, and You’ve Got Mail“, the film’s synopsis reads: “After a prickly first encounter in Paris, a fiercely independent landscape architect and a crisis-ridden bestselling novelist begin a sparky, transatlantic exchange over books and recipes—only to discover that the one thing harder than being alone might be choosing not to be”.
We understand the pact is landing in the $30M+ range and it’s a streaming commitment. No theatrical component at this stage. Patrick Wachsberger’s Legendary-backed sales firm 193 was aboard for international sales but Amazon has taken the project off the table.
Chomko is best known for Sundance drama What They Had, starring Hilary Swank and Michael Shannon. Four-time Oscar nominee Bardem is best known for dramatic roles but his hit romantic comedy-dramas include Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Eat Pray Love. Hudson has had plenty of success in the rom-com genre including on films such as How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Bride Wars.
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