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CANNES — Steven Shainberg is returning to the director’s chair for sexy comedic drama The Big Shoe, starring Jim Sturgess and Susan Sarandon.
The Big Shoe — featuring footwear designed for the film by England’s Georgina Goodman — will be financed by a new $150 million equity film fund announced this week by AngelWorld Entertainment.
Shainberg (Secretary, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus) is set to start shooting this fall from a script he co-wrote with Mickey Birnbaum. The project reteams Sarandon and Sturgess, who will be seen in Focus Features’ Cloud Atlas, from Tom Tykwer, Andy and Lana Wachowski.
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Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance Productions will produce alongside AngelWorld’s Darby Angel, Tykwer and the Wachowskis. HanWay Films will handle international sales, while CAA negotiated the deal and is representing North American rights (CAA also reps WorldView).
The Big Shoe follows Nate (Sturgess), a gifted shoe designer forced to break free from a family who wants to cheapen his art for their own commercial gain. His overbearing mother Irene (Sarandon) hires a psychotherapist and a muse to lure Nate back to work.
“The Big Shoe provides the opportunity to explore a playful romantic, sexy, intimate connection just as Secretary did. The script combines eroticism and humor in such a unique way — where shoes are better than sex,” Shainberg said.
Goodman recently designed a pair of wedding shoes commissioned by the Royal Mint to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Only 11 pairs of the shoes were produced, the first going to Kate Middleton.
“The project has all the elements we were looking for to satisfy our financing model. The script is strong, as is the cast and the creative team, and it’s great to work with an experienced and reputable producer like Lazar. The Big Shoe ticks all the boxes, especially as our investment criteria are non-negotiable,” said Angel.
AngelWorld’s new $150 million equity fund — putting investors in the first position — will finance six projects. The Big Shoe is the first to be announced.
Sturgess is represented in the U.K. by Garricks, while CAA represents Sarandon. Shainberg is represented by Industry Entertainment.
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