A24 Buys HIstorical Drama The Brutalist Following Venice Film Fest Win

The Brutalist, Adrien Brody‘s latest drama venture and a film that’s already making heads turn in the industry, has been snatched by independent distributor A24. What could be categorized as Brody’s grand return to the Hollywood spotlight has been one of the most talked about films at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. A24’s decision to acquire the film for domestic distribution came right after director Brady Corbet won the Silver Lion award for Best Director at the prestigious festival. (The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar won the most important award this year.)

The Brutalist, directed by Corbet from a script co-written with Mona Fastvold, is a historical drama featuring Brody in the lead as Laszlo Toth, a Holocaust survivor given the chance to start over again in the United States with his wife Erzsébet. After they arrive in America, Toth, a very talented architect, faces the hardships of a country that is also reawakening from a period of war. But after he lands a very profitable contract with a mysterious client, the couple’s lives take a sudden and unexpected turn.

As reported by Variety,A24 acquired The Brutalist for $10 million, and will exclusively distribute the film in the United States, while Focus Features took the rights for international distribution. None of these markets have an official release date, but considering the buzz around the film, this won’t take very long. The film will be screened next at the New York Film Festival, starting on September 27, 2024.

The Brutalist was one of the most celebrated films this year in Venice. The 12-minute standing ovation was one of the longest at the festival, a curious fact, especially considering that attendees had been sitting for more than three hours, as the film has a running time of 215 minutes. This outstanding reception is reflected in the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score, which currently sits at 97%.

Could The Brutalist Be Next Year’s Biggest Oscars Contender?

It hasn’t been an easy road for Corbet, who transitioned from acting in films like Funny Games and Force Majeure to directing with his debut feature, The Childhood of a Leader. He also directed Natalie Portman in the unconventional popstar drama Vox Lux. In development since 2020, The Brutalist saw a drastic cast change (previous cast members included Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, and Mark Rylance), but Corbet was eventually able to bring his post-war epic to life with a cast that includes Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, and Guy Pearce.

The Brutalist will surely shake up next year’s awards season. It’s one of those films with an Academy Award profile written all over it. More than anything, Adrien Brody is one of the first actors to spark Oscars talk this year. During the festival’s standing ovation, Brody – who won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 2003’s The Pianist – wept at the reception from the audience. With Corbet taking home the Silver Lion for directing and A24 distributing the post-war drama, The Brutalist is already shaping up to be a major contender in 2025.

The Brutalist
still hasn’t received a theatrical release date. Check back for updates.

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