It was announced via press release earlier today that new Weinstein Company label Radius-TWC would be handling distribution of Only God Forgives, the upcoming reteaming of Drive star and director Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn respectively. Along with the announcement production company Wild Bunch has revealed a first look image of Gosling in the film, which is currently in production in Bangkok, Thailand.
Wild Bunch also offers this lengthy synopsis:
Bangkok. Ten years ago Julian (Gosling) killed a cop and went on the run. Now he manages a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. Respected in the criminal underworld, deep inside, he feels empty.
When Julian's brother murders a prostitute the police call on retired cop Chang - the Angel of Vengeance. Chang allows the father to kill his daughter's murderer, then 'restores order' by chopping off the man's right hand.
Julian's mother Jenna - the head of a powerful criminal organization - arrives in Bangkok to collect her son's body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and 'raise hell'.
Increasingly obsessed with the Angel of Vengeance, Julian challenges him to a boxing match, hoping that by defeating him he might find spiritual release.. but Chang triumphs. A furious Jenna plots revenge and the stage is set for a bloody journey through betrayal and vengeance towards a final confrontation and the possibility of redemption.
There's no indication on whether we'll see the film late this year or in 2013, but my fingers are still crossed for a 2012 release.
As for Radius, this acquisition, which Deadline reports was made for something in the $2.5 million range, will put Radius on the map. The studio has been envisioned as "the first studio division dedicated to multi-platform distribution. Utilizing both traditional and digital media, Radius-TWC will bring the highest quality films and other specialty entertainment to a wider audience than ever before."
Radius already landed Bachelorette, a raucous comedy about three best girlfriends whose night of prenuptial debauchery threatens to ruin the wedding. That film stars Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, Kirsten Dunst, James Marsden and Adam Scott.
They also picked up the remake of Refn's Pusher from director Luis Prieto.
The indication, when you look at this slate, is that Radius isn't looking for second-rate features, but instead films on the edge that may have a hard time finding a widespread theatrical audience, but may be able to span all platforms extremely successfully. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.
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Looking extremely forward to this
The movie sounds awesome but based what's said here I'm not a fan of the distribution system. For one, it sounds like the Weinsteins want to get into genre pictures without sullying the name of the distributor of the last two best picture winners. So they created a second label (which is fine, all studios do it), but rather than just giving these films platform releases as per tradition, they're gonna try and take them out of the theatres for the most part. Would Drive really have looked better as a crappy online stream on my computer screen than on a big screen in a theatre with digital projection and surround sound, as I was able to see it both times? I do think it's important to get more films available to the general public and maybe I'm just making too many assumptions here, but it sounds like they want to keep the traditional, Oscar bait stuff to the art houses and release the genre pictures in a couple of theatres in NY and LA and then just dump them on digital media after that, with no one outside of the top ten markets ever having a chance to see them in theatres.
I'm such a huge fan of Drive, not loving the synopsis, but will definitely see. Drive was robbed of oscar nods at least with the weinstein company behind it, it's got a chance.
Synopsis sounds generic and feels like the sort of thing thats been done before. Depends whether Refn brings anything to it.
I read that synopsis like four times and I'm still not sure I get what's going on.
Sounds more involved than Drive, which is great to see. Hopefully it's got some substance. I will say though, that synopsis gives away quite a bit... I mean, it's borderline spoilerish.
Dude, Ryan Gosling is like totally the coolest new action star. I hope he does Transformers 4.
Uhh, no thanks.
Sounds very Pusher-esque...Excitebikes all around. Get some Refn!
In just about 2 years, Ryan Gosling went from generic rom-com actor to being an absoulte badass, thanks to movies like Drive, Gangster Squad, The Place Beyond the Pines and Only God Forgives. And I love it, to be honest.