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Josh Gad (Murder on the Orient Express) has signed on to star in Gerron’s Last Film, directed by Simon Curtis (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale).
CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are repping domestic rights, while Rocket Science will handle international sales. They will launch the project at the European Film Market.
The film will be produced by Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman Keren of Pie Films through their newly launched UK office, from a script by Ehud Lavski (Gunpowder Milkshake) and Alon Gur Arye (Mossad). Adam Recht (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale) will serve as editor, and Ross Emery (The Giver) as Director of Photography.
Gerron’s Last Film is inspired by the true story of Kurt Gerron, one of the most famous Jewish actors and directors in pre-Nazi Germany (and the original performer of the song “Mack the Knife” from Brecht’s Threepenny Opera). Unlike his friends Fritz Lang and Marlene Dietrich, Gerron refused to leave Germany and was ultimately sent to the Theresienstadt (Terezin) Ghetto, along with many other cultural icons of his time. When Gerron arrives, the camp commander Karl Rahm (stating that he is a huge fan of his work) orders Gerron to direct a propaganda film about the camp, to show the “luxurious” conditions to the world. With no choice in the matter, Gerron embarks on what will be his last film, trying to give his fellow prisoners fleeting moments of humanity in the process.
Gad said in a statement that the film will be “universally spoken about and responded to.”
“These themes are more relevant today than they have been in decades,” he said. “I got into this industry to make movies that are important, that can create conversations, and I strongly know in my heart that this is one of those films. It’s imperative that we use the power we have as artists to tell stories that should be seen as warnings, that strike up conversations, and this is an important story that ticks off everything on that checklist.”
English (US) ·