AFM 2012: Colin Firth, Michael Fassbender Set for 'Genius'

Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender are set to star in Genius, based on A. Scott Berg's National Book Award winning biography Max Perkins: Editor of Genius.

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The film will chart the real-life relationship between literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Fassbender) and renowned editor Max Perkins (Firth), who developed a tender, complex friendship that changed the lives of both men forever.

Michael Grandage -- who recently served as the artistic director of London’s famed theatre the Donmar Warehouse -- will direct from an adapted script by John Logan, whose numerous credits include James Bond pic Skyfall.

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FilmNation will shop the project to foreign buyers at the American Film Market, now under way in Santa Monica. The project's pedigree is sure to spark keen interest.

CAA will put together financing and represent North American rights.

Genius will be produced by James Bierman for the Michael Grandage Co. Bierman served as executive producer at Donmar and formed MGC with Grandange.

“Genius promises to be a beautifully performed, electrifying and deeply moving film. With such a strong creative team led by Michael Grandage, John Logan and James Bierman and with Firth and Fassbender on board, who are undoubtedly two of the finest screen actors working today, we can’t wait to introduce the film to buyers at AFM," FilmNation's Glen Basner said.
 
Firth will be seen next opposite Nicole Kidman in the Eric Lomax biopic The Railway Man and in Atom Egoyan's The Devil's Knot opposite Reese Witherspoon. He is represented by CAA and Independent Talent.

Fassbender's upcoming films include Terrence Malick’s untitled project, Ridley Scott’s The Counselor and Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave. He is represented by CAA and Troika.