HOLLYWOOD TO REMAKE QUEBEC BOX-OFFICE SMASH FOR ENGLISH AUDIENCES
Montreal, November 10, 2009 – Telefilm Canada is pleased that the French-language box-office smash De père en flic has been acquired by Sony Pictures and will be developed into an English-language film by Hollywood power partners Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, along with Denise Robert and Emile Gaudreault, producer and writer-director, respectively, of the original film.
Released in Quebec in June 2009 De père en flic, opened at number one at the box-office, beating out summer blockbusters like Bruno. The film is now the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in Quebec and Canada.
“This is great news for the cast and crew of a film that can only be described as a Canadian success story,” said Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore. “It was an honour to host a screening of De père en flic on Parliament Hill; I know audiences everywhere will enjoy the film as much as we did.”
“We have every reason to be proud of Denise Robert, Emile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon, whose creative talent has reached beyond both cultural and linguistic lines and resonated with audiences,” stated Michel Roy, Chair, Telefilm Canada. “Through Telefilm’s initial financial support of De père en flic, audiences around the country and the world will continue to be captivated by this film.”
De père en flic, tentatively titled in English Fathers and Guns, is a hilarious comedy about a father and son police team who despise each other. Through the course of an investigation, they are forced to infiltrate an outdoor adventure group-therapy camp for fathers and sons.
Producer Kathleen Kennedy is excited about the adaptation process, “De père en flic is a fantastically funny film, and we’re excited to be part of the process of getting this story out to as many people as possible. We greatly admire the work that went into the movie, and recognize that it will be hard to replicate a creative team like Émile Gaudreault, Ian Lauzon, and Denise Robert. We just hope that we can make the English-language adaptation as entertaining and successful as the original has been in Quebec.”
Telefilm Canada: Developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The Corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canada Feature Film Fund, the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund.
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Media inquiries:
Alejandra Sosa – Communications Officer & Press attaché
(416) 973-6436 or 1-800-463-4607,
sosaa@telefilm.ca