EXCLUSIVE: One notable title up for sale we’re hearing about at the European Film Market is Timothy Scott Bogart’s pop Romeo & Juliet musical, Verona starring Clara Rugaard, Jamie Ward, Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett, Jason Isaacs and Derek Jacobi.
Verona will be the first film in a original pop musical trilogy based around the real-life 1301 story that inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. A wide theatrical releaser this Christmas is being planned.
Bogart tells us, “We’ve set out to tell the greatest love story of all time, set to the musical pulse of our time. But Shakespeare only told part of that remarkable tale whose events changed the course of history!”
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Voltage is handling international sales on Verona.
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Bogart recently directed the 1970s-1980s set feature Spinning Gold about his record label exec father Neil Bogart’s rise and fall with Casablanca Records. That pic is coming out on March 31 in theaters.
Rounding out the cast is Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Coda, Sing Street, “Vikings”), Rupert Graves (“Sherlock,” Emma), Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts franchise, “The Offer,” “The Walking Dead”) and Grammy Award-winners Tayla Parx and Ledisi round out the all-star cast of the film, which is currently filming on location in Verona, Italy.
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Grammy Award-winning composer Evan Bogart (Beyonce’s “HALO”, Rihanna’s “SOS”) is scoring and producing the Original Music for the film. Three-time Academy Award-winner Dante Ferretti serves as production designer.
The film is being produced by Bogart, Jessica Martins (Spinning Gold, Forsaken) and Chris Torto through their newly launched Hero Entertainment Partners that is set to release Bogart’s Spinning Gold theatrically. Verona is the first in Hero Entertainment Partners’ commitment of a $100M production financing slate of music driven films and live theater. Laurence Mark (The Greatest Showman, Dreamgirls) and Gary A. Randall (Spinning Gold) serve as EPs.
“Each member of our cast is bringing something truly unique to the table and combined with the visceral way we’re filming on location in multiple castles and on remote locations across Italy, we believe this will be unlike any version of this most treasured tale that’s ever been done before,” added lead Producer Jessica Martins.
“Romeo and Juliet is the original Young Adult romance, or as we have come to say in the office, The OG YA. Having had the pleasure of seeing the hours of raw footage and hearing the original music from Verona, I know that our international partners, many of whom have leaned heavily into the YA space alongside us, will be onboard with this passionate new twist on the OG YA tale that Tim and the team are bringing to life,” says Voltage Boss Jonathan Deckter.
“With Spinning Gold and now the Verona trilogy, Hero Entertainment Partners brings a new player to the theatrical field,” said Torto. “Audiences are returning to theaters again, seeking out broad, mainstream entertainment, and we believe that Spinning Gold and Verona are poised to deliver.”
Rugaard received high critical praise for her performance in the Sundance Official Selection sci-fi thriller I Am Mother. Her credits include the award-winning Spanish drama Love Gets a Room and the smash-hit Netflix series “Black Mirror.” She is repped by United Agents.
Ward most recently appeared in the third season of the HBO fantasy adventure series “His Dark Materials.” His credits include FX’s Emmy nominated series “Tyrant” and the horror-thriller Monster Party opposite Sam Strike and Virginia Gardner. He is repped by Independent Talent Group and Entertainment 360.
Wilson was most recently seen in the hit Netflix romcom Senior Year and will next be seen in The Almond & the Seahorse. Other recent credits include the Academy Award-winning Jojo Rabbit. She is represented by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Three-time BAFTA-nominee Everett most recently appeared in the Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection My Policeman, opposite Harry Styles and Emma Corrin. Other credits include My Best Friend’s Wedding, the Shrek franchise and The Happy Prince. He is repped by CAA and Tavistock Wood Management.
Isaacs is best known for playing Lucious Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. Other credits include The Patriot opposite Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger and Armando Iannucci’s BAFTA nominated black comedy The Death of Stalin. He most recently appeared in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris opposite Lesley Manville and Isabelle Huppert and can next be seen in Bogart’s Spinning Gold. He is repped by Independent Talent Group and The Gersh Agency.
Two-time Emmy Award-winner Jacobi’s credits include Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, The King’s Speech with Colin Firth, and My Week with Marilyn alongside Michelle Williams. His recent credits include the star-studded remake of The Murder on the Orient Express and the biopic Tolkien with Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins. He is repped by Independent Talent Group.