Sigourney Weaver, Margaret Qualley to Star in ‘My Salinger Year’ (EXCLUSIVE)

VARIETY – Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley are set to co-star in “My Salinger Year,” the big-screen adaptation of Joanna Rakoff’s international bestseller, which will be directed by Oscar-nominated Canadian director Philippe Falardeau.

Memento Films International (“Call Me by Your Name”) has come on board to handle international sales and is co-representing the U.S. rights with UTA Independent Film Group.

“This is a total crowd-pleaser that will draw a substantial audience,” said Tanja Meissner, head of international sales at Memento. “All the relevant ingredients are assembled: an irresistibly charming and tender story in which ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ meets the literary world.”

“My Salinger Year” will start shooting in Montreal and New York this Spring. Luc Déry and Kim McCraw from micro_scope are producing the film. The Canadian company’s critically acclaimed credits include Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” and “Enemy,” as well as Falardeau’s “Monsieur Lazhar,” which was nominated for the foreign-language Oscar in 2012.

Written by Falardeau and based on Rakoff’s book, “My Salinger Year” takes place in New York in the ’90s and follows Joanna (Qualley), who leaves graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and gets hired as an assistant to Margaret (Weaver), the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J. D. Salinger.

Fluctuating between poverty and glamour, Qualley spends her days in a plush office and her nights in a sink-less Brooklyn apartment with her socialist boyfriend. Joanna’s main task is processing Salinger’s voluminous fan mail, but as she reads letters from around the world, she impulsively begins personalizing the responses, discovering her own voice in the process.

“After directing seven features starring mostly male protagonists, I was longing to shift the paradigm and tell a story from a female perspective,” said Falardeau, whose credits also include “The Good Lie” and “Chuck,” starring Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts and Elisabeth Moss, which premiered in Venice and Toronto.

“I now get to do that with the help of two very talented actresses who should prove to make an exciting duo in this mentor-mentee story,” Falardeau said.

“My Salinger Year” is co-produced by Ruth Coady and Susan Mullen at Irish company Parallel Films (“Brooklyn,” “Mary Shelley”) in Ireland. Mary Jane Skalski at Next Wednesday Films and author Rakoff are exec-producing.

Memento Films International, which had a banner year in 2018 with the Oscar-winning “Call Me by Your Name,” is boasting a strong slate of prestige English-language films, notably Benedict Andrews’ “Against All Enemies,” with Kristen Stewart.

“My Salinger Year” will be distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.

Falardeau, Weaver and Qualley are repped by UTA, and Rakoff by WME. Qualley is also repped by Management 360 and attorney Harris Hartman.

Jamie Bell, Margaret Qualley & Director Tim Sutton Reteam For ‘The Chain’; Sebastian Stan Also Starring In Voltage Production – EFM

DEADLINE – EXCLUSIVE: Voltage Pictures has boarded international sales on Tim Sutton’s upcoming thriller The Chain, which reunites the filmmaker with his Donnybrook stars Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley. Both stars are in talks to join in addition to Colette‘s Denise Gough and Captain America: Civil War‘s Sebastian Stan.

Voltage president and COO Jonathan Deckter announced the news today.

The Chain, which Sutton adapted from Tobias Wolff’s award-winning short story of the same name, follows the story of a man’s daughter who is viciously attacked by a dog, setting off a chain of events that ends in unspeakable tragedy. This is the second feature-length adaption of Wolff’s literary work; his memoir This Boy’s Life was adapted into the hit feature film of the same name starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Barkin. Production on The Chain will start in April.

Producers are Rumble Films’ David Lancaster (Whiplash, Nightcrawler, Eye in the Sky) and Stephanie Wilcox (Small Crimes, Donnybrook). Deckter negotiated the deal with Jon Shiffman COO/CFO of Rumble Films on behalf of the producers. UTA will rep North American rights. Rumble Films also produced Sutton’s bare-knuckle pugilist pic Donnybrook which made its world premiere at last year’s Toronto Film Festival’s Platform Section, won the 2018 Fantastic Fest main competition and will be released by IFC Films in 2019.

“The incomparable Tobias Wolff is one of my favorite authors and we’re even bigger fans of Jamie Bell since working with him on the powerful feature Skin,” said Deckter. “We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at Rumble Films to bring Tim Sutton’s adaptation to audiences around the world.  It ticks all the boxes for a strong, international commercial contender so we could not be happier to be representing The Chain,” Deckter continued.

The Chain is the latest film to be added to Voltage’s production and sales slate for Berlin. The company recently announced its new production Blackwing from writer David Loughery and its worldwide representation of the social media thriller Follow Me.

Bell who first rose to prominence in his debut role in Billy Elliot, most recently played Bryon Widner in Guy Nattiv’s skinhead redemption drama Skin, which won the FIPRESCI prize at Toronto and is set to open in the Panorama section at this year’s Berlin. He is repped by UTA and Artists Independent Management.

Two-time Olivier Award-winning actress Denise Gough’s film credits include Bleecker Street Media’s Colette opposite Keira Knightley and Dominic West and Lionsgate’s Juliet, Naked opposite Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd. Gough was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 2018 Tony Awards for her role in Angels in America. She recently wrapped Monday and can next be seen in 20th Century Fox’s The Kid Who Would Be King, which is currently in release. Gough is repped by UTA and Independent Talent Group.

Qualley is best known for her role as Jill Garvey on the HBO series The Leftovers. Her film credits include Shane Black’s The Nice Guys and Maggie Bett’s Novitiate. Qualley will next star in the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon opposite Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, premiering in the spring. She is repped by UTA and Management 360.