Row K Entertainment
Row K has picked up 4 films in the last couple of weeks. Three straight out of TIFF.
The first film is TIFF and Venice’s Dead Man’s Wire. Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Al Pacino, Bill Skarsgård, and Colman Domingo.
Synopsis:
On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a “dead man’s wire” from the trigger to Tony’s own neck.
The second is Charlie Harper, which is world premiering in Special Presentations at TIFF.
Synopsis:
Harper and Charlie try to build a life together. While Harper strives to carve out a career as a chef, Charlie is stuck. Facing challenges in their relationship, they struggle to prove they are meant for each other, but will it be enough?
The film features two stellar performances by CODA’s Emilia Jones as Harper and Nick Robinson (Love, Simon) as Charlie.
There’s an interesting non-linear element in the film that allows us to ricochet between the couple’s idealized first year together and their contentious present, 5 years into the relationship.
Check out our TIFF interview with the first-time directors: https://theindustry.co/p/tiff-charlie-harper-interview
The third film out of TIFF is Poetic Licence, Maude Apatow’s directorial debut. The film, produced by Apatow’s Jewelbox Pictures, follows Liz, a former therapist, who becomes the center of tension between two best friends as their friendship unravels. Cooper Hoffman and Leslie Mann as the leads in her feature directorial debut.
Their first non-TIFF buy is the new Cliffhanger reboot. It now stars Pierce Brosnan and Lily James, after the original film’s lead, Sylvester Stallone, dropped out. There’s also been a sequel announcement.
In 1993, Stallone co-wrote and starred in the mountaineering action-adventure-thriller Cliffhanger. The trailer is both corny and compelling.
The film is getting a reboot.
Here’s the official synopsis:
When Gabe (Pierce Brosnan) and a high-profile client are taken hostage during an adventurous weekend trip, his daughter (Lily James) has to use all her climbing skills to outwit the kidnappers, triggering a battle of life and death.
The film has a story by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) and is being directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, House of Wax).
Currently in Post. A sequel is already in the works.
Row K is founded by industry vets Christopher Woodrow (EP: Birdman, Hacksaw Ridge, The Long Walk) and Raj Brinder Singh (EP: John Wick, Sing Street). No word on release date.
They’re moving at an exponential rate, and yesterday, they hired a CMO, CRO, and head of distribution/acquisition. 2 out of 3 of those hires worked at IMAX previously, so expect Cliffhanger to hit some IMAX screens when it is released wide in 2026 on 3000 screens.
But we’re seeing a ton of new indie distributors enter the market. Willa popped onto the scene last year with the Rooney Mara-starring La Cocina and has already partnered with Lionsgate. Black Bear is expanding into US distribution.