New York-based Bleecker Street has acquired Rumours, a film written and directed by Canadian auteur Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg), Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson.

The Canada-Germany coproduction stars Academy Award-winners Cate Blanchett (Tár, Carol; pictured left) and Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl, Ex Machina) and Genie Award-winner Roy Dupuis (La Femme Nikita, Shake Hands with the Devil; pictured right), and is slated for a 2024 theatrical release.

The production companies behind the project are Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Pictures, Munich- and Berlin-based Maze Pictures, and U.S. banner Square Peg Films.

The film follows the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the G7 summit as they get lost in the woods, facing increasing peril while drafting a statement about a global crisis.

Additional members of the cast include Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Knock at the Cabin), Rolando Ravello (Perfect Strangers), Takehiro Hira (Gran Turismo) and Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness).

The deal was negotiated by Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy on behalf of Bleecker Street, with CAA Media Finance working on behalf of the filmmakers. The film has financing from Telefilm Canada, Manitoba Film & Music, Orogen Entertainment and Minnow Productions, in association with ZDF/ARTE.

Producers for the film are Liz Jarvis for Buffalo Gal Pictures, Philipp Kreuzer for Maze Pictures and Lars Knudsen for Square Peg, with executive producers Andrew Karpen, Kent Sanderson, Ari Aster, Jörg Schulze and Phyllis Laing.

Elevation Pictures distributes in Canada, Plaion Pictures in Germany, while Protagonist Pictures handles international sales.

Photo of Cate Blanchett by Tom Munro; photo by Roy Dupuis by Christine Berthiaume