STXfilms is partnering with Lantern Entertainment to distribute The Upside, one of the films left in limbo during The Weinstein Co.’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart star in the comedy, a remake of the French movie The Intouchables, which follows a recently paroled ex-convict (Hart) that strikes up an unusual and unlikely friendship with a paralyzed billionaire (Cranston).
Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies and Aja Naomi King also star in the film from Neil Burger. Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Steve Tisch produced.
The Upside premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and was set for a March 9 release this year, but was pulled from the calendar in January as the company changed ownership after the reports of Harvey Weinstein’s multiple accounts of alleged sexual misconduct and assault. Gareth Edwards’ Mary Magdalene and Robert De Niro’s War With Grandpa were also among the titles caught up in the scandal and ensuing uncertainty.
Lantern Entertainment is an affiliate of Lantern Capital Partners, which acquired TWC for $289 million, a deal that closed at the beginning of July. Lantern Entertainment has brought in consultants, including former Lionsgate co-president Steve Beeks and Open Road Films CFO Alexa Platt, to help establish the company’s production and distribution operations.
