EXCLUSIVE: Alliance Media Partners has boarded Driver, the London-set crime thriller starring Dafne Keen (Deadpool & Wolverine) and Aidan Gillen (Peaky Blinders), and will launch worldwide sales on the project at the Cannes Marché du Film.
Driver is the feature directorial debut of Patrick Ireland (Ill Fares The Land). It is being produced by Adriel Thomas, Byron Ross and Michael Safai of Playhouse Pictures, alongside Paul Thompstone of Studio Atlantic and Vacancy Films.
Ireland directs from a script he co-wrote with Jessica Romagnoli. The thriller is set in London’s shadowy underworld. It follows Trey, an ex-con working as a night driver, who forms a bond with Camden (Keen), who is working as an escort. Their connection deepens, but the violent world that controls them both starts to close in. Gillen plays Dickinson, a dangerous figure from Trey’s past.
“I can’t wait to dive into such a complex role in Patrick’s honest, raw and compassionate story. Patrick finds light in the dark, and this is a world I had to be a part of,” said Keen, who is also an executive producer on the film.
Production is set for fall 2026. The co-lead role of Trey has yet to be cast. We understand several actors are in contention. Casting is led by Ajo Kacmar of IO Casting.
“At its heart, Driver is a deeply human story about two damaged people trying to reclaim a sense of agency in a world that has systematically stripped it from them,” added writer-director Ireland. “Dafne and Aidan are extraordinary actors, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring this world to life with them.”
AMP, founded in 2017 as a production, financing and sales company, is the media arm of Alliance Capital Partners.
“Driver is a fresh, contemporary take on the British crime thriller: intimate, dangerous and emotionally charged, with a morally complex relationship at the heart of its underworld story,” said Anthony Buckner, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at AMP. “Dafne Keen is one of the most compelling young actors working today, while Aidan Gillen brings gravitas and a commanding screen presence. We’re very excited to introduce it to buyers at Cannes.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings