Berlin 2012: Robert Redford Confirmed for J.C. Chandor's 'All Is Lost'

BERLIN — Marking his return to the big screen, Robert Redford will star in All Is Lost for writer-director J.C. Chandor. 

Glen Basner's FilmNation announced Thursday that it is handling foreign rights to the film as the European Film Market got under way. The high-profile project has landed Lionsgate as domestic distributor.

All Is Lost is the exhilarating journey of one man's fight to survive. The film is set entirely at sea, and Redford — who was last seen in theaters in 2007's Lions for Lambs — is the only cast member.

Chandor is set to begin shooting this summer at Baja Studios in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, which was built by Fox for Titanic.

Redford's involvement in All Is Lost has been rumored for weeks, and he's now in final talks. Redford met Chandor at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, where the director's Margin Call made its worldwide premiere. Chandor is up for an Oscar for best original screenplay for the critically acclaimed film, his first helming effort.

Margin Call's Neal Dodson is producing All Is Lost via his Before the Door Pictures banner alongside Black Bear Pictures' Teddy Schwarzman and Treehouse Pictures' Justin Nappi. They are fully financing the project. Also producing are Anna Gerb and Jason Blum.

"We had a charmed experience on Margin Call with J.C. and are thrilled to be taking our relationship with him to the next level on his audacious sophomore film," Dodson said.

Before the Door's Zachary Quinto and Corey Moosa will excutive produce with Cassian Elwes, Laura Rister and Kevin Turen.

Elwes and Rister negotiated the financing deals on behalf of the film, along with WME's Alexis Garcia.

Redford is repped by CAA and attorney Barry Tyerman; Chandor is repped by WME.

"The combination of an exciting, new filmmaker and iconic actor like Robert Redford will be a collaboration that audiences around the world will take note of," Basner said.

All Is Lost is sure to draw the keen eye of foreign buyers, who have no shortage of high-profile projects to choose from at EFM. FilmNation's newly announced Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer A Most Wanted Man, directed by Anton Corbijn, is among the titles generating strong interest as the market as the Berlin International Film Festival officially gets under way (Corbijn is on the festival jury).