Cannes: Jason Clarke and Omar Sy to Star in Stephen Gaghan’s ‘Candy Store’ (Exclusive)

Jason Clarke and Omar Sy have closed deals to star in Good Universe and Lionsgate’s The Candy Store.

Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) will direct the action thriller from a script he co-wrote with Shannon Burke. Lionsgate will distribute the film in North America, while Good Universe will launch the project to foreign buyers at the upcoming Cannes film market.

The Candy Store interweaves several storylines set against a dynamic criminal underworld in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. A former covert operative (Clarke) discovers the organization he was dedicated to fighting is now operating in his new backyard. When he teams up with a disgraced local cop, their investigation leads them to a king pimp (Sy), a Cold War consigliere and a beautiful woman wrapped up in an elaborate threat against Manhattan.

Clarke and Sy have become hot commodities since their respective turns in Zero Dark Thirty and The Intouchables.

Clarke’s upcoming credits include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Great Gatsby, while Sy is currently shooting X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Allison Shearmur (the upcoming Cinderella) will produce alongside Gaghan. Good Universe’s Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane and Nicole Brown will executive produce alongside Flashlight Films’ Allyn Stewart and Kipp Nelson. Good Universe’s Matt Leonetti will co-produce along with Suzanne Joskow.

Drake and Dan Freedman negotiated the deals for Good Universe, and Sean Kisker negotiated for Lionsgate.

Clarke and Sy are repped by CAA. Clarke is also handled by Robert Stein Management and attorney Peter Nelson. Sy is additionally repped by Laurent Gregoire of Adequat.

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27

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