Berlin

Golden Globe nominated actor Joel Edgerton (Loving, Boy Erased) and Sean Harris (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, The King) are set to star in thriller The Unknown Man, the sophomore feature from writer/director Thomas M Wright (Acute Misfortune). A See-Saw Films and Anonymous Content production, the original feature film is produced by Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Rachel Gardner, Kerry Roberts, Kim Hodgert and Joel Edgerton.

Rocket Science alongside See-Saw’s in-house sales arm, Cross City Films will be launching the film at the EFM in Berlin. CAA Media Finance are acting as financing agent and are co-representing sales in the US. Major production funding has been secured from Screen Australia and Rocket Science. Stan will be a partner in Australia, alongside a theatrical release.

The Unknown Man is based on an incredible real-life Australian sting operation. Two men who meet on a plane strike up a conversation that turns into friendship. For Henry Teague (Harris), worn down by a lifetime of physical labour and crime, this is a dream come true. His new friend Mark (Edgerton) becomes his saviour and ally. What Henry doesn’t know is that Mark is a seasoned undercover officer - working to convict Henry for an unsolved murder committed years prior. 

See-Saw Films’ producers Rachel Gardner, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman said, “Already lauded as a director with a distinctive voice, Thomas has written a unique and exceptional script to highlight the incredible story behind how a shocking crime was ultimately solved. Joel has been an ardent supporter since the start and alongside Sean will no doubt bring a level of integrity and gravitas to the fascinating story and relationship between two very different men.”

Says producer and star Joel Edgerton, “I am entirely thrilled by the screenplay that Thomas has written and his approach to bringing the story to life. As an actor, I know I will have an incredible experience working with him, and as a producer I am honoured to be partnering with a filmmaker with such a brilliant future. I also feel very privileged to continue my successful relationship with Anonymous Content and deepen ties with See-Saw Films as we all embark on this film together. It's an incredible team behind this project that will support and harness the talent of Thomas M. Wright moving forward and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Evocative Australian director Thomas M Wright co-wrote and directed his debut film Acute Misfortune, based on the book by Erik Jensen, which won The Age Critics Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival, was nominated for Best Indie Film at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards and was named the best Australian film of 2019 by The Guardian. Also known for his acting work internationally, Wright starred in See-Saw’s Emmy winning series ‘Top of the Lake’, 2015’s film Everest, FX’s hit show ‘The Bridge’, and WGN America’s ‘Outsiders’. He will also star in the upcoming Nation Geographic Channel epic ‘Barkskins’.

Simon Gillis, See-Saw’s COO of Film as well as Thorsten Schumacher and Lars Sylvest from Rocket Science will serve as Executive Producers.

Thomas M Wright is repped by WME and Stacey Testro International. Joel Edgerton is repped by CAA and Anonymous Content in the US, Markham, Froggatt and Irwin in the UK and Shanahan Management in AUS.  Sean Harris is repped by Troika in the UK and Management 360 in the US.

JOEL EDGERTON BIOGRAPHY

Originally from New South Wales, Australia, Joel Edgerton is an actor as well as both a director and writer. He recently co-wrote and starred in Netflix’s critically acclaimed The King starring Timothee Chalamet. He made his directing debut in the 2015’s film The Gift in which he also wrote and acted alongside Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. His sophomore feature Boy Erased starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, was nominated for two Golden Globe awards. His earlier works include Bright, It Comes At Night, The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty, and Loving for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.

SEAN HARRIS BIOGRAPHY

BAFTA winner Sean Harris is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the villainous Solomon Lane in the Mission Impossible Films and could be seen most recently in Netflix’s critically acclaimed feature The King alongside Timothee Chalamet. He will next feature in David Lowery's The Green Knight alongside Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. Other notable credits include Macbeth, Deliver Us from Evil, Prometheus and Southcliffe.

ABOUT SEE-SAW FILMS

Academy Award®, BAFTA and Emmy Award winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman founded See-Saw Films in 2008. With offices in London and Sydney, See-Saw specializes in international film and television production. See-Saw’s television division is run by Emmy Award winning executive producers Hakan Kousetta and Jamie Laurenson.

See-Saw Films produced six-time Academy Award® nominated Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, as well as The King’s Speech, which was nominated for twelve and won four Academy Awards® in 2011 including Best Motion Picture. Recent projects include Widows directed by Steve McQueen and starring Viola Davis. Upcoming projects include Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan; Operation Mincemeat, directed by John Madden and starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald; and The Power Of The Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.

See-Saw’s television division kicked off with the multi-award winning first season of Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’. Campion returned with ‘Top of The Lake: China Girl’ starring Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe.  ‘State of the Union’, written by Nick Hornby, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2019 and won three Emmy Awards. Recent projects include Samantha Strauss’ ‘The End’ for Foxtel and Sky Atlantic, starring Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor. Upcoming projects include ‘The North Water’ for BBC Two written and directed by Andrew Haigh, starring Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell and Stephen Graham; and ‘Slow Horses’ for Apple TV+, starring Gary Oldman.

www.see-saw-films.com

@SeeSaw_Films

ABOUT ANONYMOUS CONTENT

Founded in 1999 by Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a leading management and Film, TV and Commercial production company. Anonymous Content manages the careers of many of the world’s most renowned and innovative directors, writers and actors working closely with them to achieve their goals by both creating and finding opportunities for them, whether in feature films, television, commercials, music videos or brand integrated content. Anonymous Content’s clients have been recognized with Academy Awards®, Emmys®, Golden Globes®, Tony Awards®, Pulitzer Prizes® and other prestigious awards. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division boasts many commercially successful and critically-acclaimed works, including BABEL, WINTER’S BONE, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, THE REVENANT and Best Picture Academy Award winning SPOTLIGHT. The company’s TV credits includes “True Detective” (HBO), “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), “Schitt’s Creek” (POP), “Berlin Station” (EPIX), “13 Reasons Why” (Netflix), “The OA” (Netflix), “The Alienist” (TNT) “Maniac” (Netflix), “Homecoming” (Amazon), and “Catch-22.” Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless leading global brands.  In 2016, Anonymous Content received a substantial minority investment from Emerson Collective, the organization founded and run by Laurene Powell Jobs, to allow the firm to expand its production offerings in socially-relevant content aimed at inspiring change. For more information, visit www.anonymouscontent.com.

ABOUT STAN

Stan is Australia’s leading local subscription video-on-demand streaming service provider with unrivalled studio partnerships including Showtime, Starz, MGM and Paramount. Through these partners Stan offers unlimited access to thousands of hours of premium entertainment, with an outstanding lineup of feature movies and exclusive TV series premieres such as THE LOUDEST VOICE, CITY ON A HILL, PERPETUAL GRACE, LTD., BILLIONS, TWIN PEAKS, POWER, ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA, YOUNGER and more.

Stan is the unrivalled home of original Australian productions. Stan Originals include the AACTA Award-winning and Logie Award-nominated series NO ACTIVITY and WOLF CREEK, the critically acclaimed and Logie-Award winning drama series ROMPER STOMPER and BLOOM (featuring a Logie Award-winning performance by Jacki Weaver), and Stan Original Film THE SECOND (featuring Susie Porter in a Logie Award-nominated performance). Vicki Madden’s THE GLOAMING starring Emma Booth, Ewen Leslie and Aaron Pedersen; THE OTHER GUY: SEASON 2 with Matt Okine, Harriet Dyer, Claudia Karvan and Lily Sullivan with Gracie Otto on directing duties; Shelley Birse’s THE COMMONS starring Joanne Froggatt, David Lyons, Ryan Corr, Rupert Penry-Jones and Damon Herriman; and Stan Original Film TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG.

For more information, visit stan.com.au

@stanaustralia

ABOUT ROCKET SCIENCE

Established in London, 2016, ROCKET SCIENCE is one of the most globally recognized, international film entertainment companies, working with top tier talent and producers to create compelling content for modern film and television audiences. Since its inception, it has financed, produced, packaged and sold over two dozen critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including: Julian Schnabel’s At Eternity’s Gate, starring Willem Dafoe who was nominated for an Academy Award® for his turn as Vincent van Gogh; David Lowery’s The Old Man and the Gun, starring Robert Redford; and Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer, starring Nicole Kidman.

With proven taste and an objective-driven approach, ROCKET SCIENCE’S recent and upcoming slate includes: Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front; Sean Penn's Flag Day; Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, with Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen; Ana Lily Amirpour’s female-led reboot of survival blockbuster Cliffhanger; Billy Crystal’s Here Today, starring Tiffany Haddish and Billy Crystal; Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges; Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly’s Queenpins, starring Leslie Jones and Kristen Bell; Amirpour’s Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, starring Kate Hudson; and Jonathan Jakubowicz’s Resistance, starring Jesse Eisenberg.