Adam Deacon’s ‘Sumotherhood’ Acquired by Paramount – The Hollywood Reporter

Sumotherhood, the upcoming British city action-comedy that marks the much-anticipated return to filmmaking for BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, is ready to hit cinemas later this yr following a serious worldwide cope with Paramount, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal.

Paramount World Content material Distribution and Paramount Photos U.Okay. have acquired the characteristic, which is now in post-production. It comes from Piece of Pie Manufacturing, Deaconstructed and Belstone Photos, with Paramount Photos U.Okay. planning a theatrical launch within the U.Okay. and Eire later in 2023.

Sumotherhood options an ensemble solid, together with Deacon (Kidulthood, Rogue), Jazzie Zonzolo (Anuvahood), Jennifer Saunders (Completely Fabulous), Danny Sapani (Black Panther), Ed Sheeran (Sport Of Thrones), Leomie Anderson (Glow Up), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Mary Poppins Returns, Paddington 2), London Hughes (London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck), Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick), Richie Campbell (High Boy, Blue Story), Ella VaDay (Ru Paul’s Drag Race) and Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood), alongside a number of cameos

Written by Deacon, Jazzie Zonzolo and Michael Vu, the movie marks actor-writer-director Deacon’s comeback after a number of years away from the trade and over a decade since his 2011 directorial debut Anuvahood (on which he collaborated with Vu). Having damaged out within the 2006 drama Kidulthood, he received the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2012 (notably beating Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Chris O’Dowd and Eddie Redmayne), however later stepped again after a public battle with psychological heath, having been recognized as bipolar in 2015.

Deacon, who directed and starred within the movie, additionally receives his first producer credit score by his new manufacturing banner Deaconstructed.

“As a result of stigma surrounding my psychological well being, it’s been arduous to navigate my approach again into the trade, however I’ve labored extraordinarily arduous and stored the religion for over eight years, so to get to the purpose the place I’m working alongside Paramount is simply such an honor and I’m extraordinarily grateful to have their backing,” stated Deacon. “Everybody at Paramount have actually understood my imaginative and prescient as a filmmaker and what I’m making an attempt to create. I really feel actually blessed to be directing once more and doing what I like.”

Deacon is an envoy of Bipolar U.Okay., and Sumotherhood touches on psychological well being points.

The cope with Paramount was closed by Finn Bruce of Belstone Photos, who repped worldwide on behalf of the filmmakers and by Sejin Croninger, government vp of worldwide acquisitions, Paramount World Content material Distribution.

“We’re more than happy to be working with Adam once more and for Paramount to be persevering with its assist of unbiased filmmaking within the U.Okay.,” stated Croninger and managing director of Paramount Photos U.Okay., John Fletcher, who championed the manufacturing.

“This movie is a celebration… A celebration of music, media, and tradition for a hungry and underserved viewers inside cinema,” stated Bruce, who additionally produces. “We’re delighted a studio is backing a movie like this, with edge, quirk, and authenticity. Made as an unbiased manufacturing informed creatively by Deacon’s distinctive filmmaking voice of outlandish characters, loopy dialogue, and wacky comedy; however this time coming at you with a serving of high-octane motion and get together power that’s going to blow you away.”

The movie’s government producer, Barry McNicholl of Piece of Pie added: “After years working with Adam to deliver this movie to life, we’ve got discovered a companion that understands the necessity for this content material and with the mixed imaginative and prescient of Paramount and Piece of Pie, we are going to actually be capable of break boundaries and get younger folks again into the cinema.”

The movie was developed, financed and government produced by Piece of Pie and their staff of in-house executives Barry McNicholl, Robert Williams, and Kevin Bishop. “We based the corporate to assist filmmakers like Adam,” stated Williams. “We purpose to assist them inform their tales and confront psychological well being by this medium. We’re so honored to work with an organization like Paramount who share this mission and collectively we’re excited to be bringing this movie to audiences globally later this yr.” 

Behind the digicam, Sumotherhood‘s heads of division embody director of pictures Simon Stolland (Blue Story, Shiro’s Story), casting director Heather Basten (Dreaming While Black, Jungle and Untitled Jada Pinkett Smith Sequence), editors Ash White (Flat Share, Stath Lets Flats, Pirates) and Mark Williams (After Life, Bloods), costume designer Mekel Bailey (Child Reindeer, X-Issue) and manufacturing designer Jonathan Inexperienced (Atlanta). The movie additionally includes a soundtrack organized by music supervisors Arnold Hattingh, Ottilia Kjulsten and David Bass of Theodore Music that includes music from Skepta, Abra Cadabra, Krept & Konan, Russ Hundreds of thousands, Tion Wayne, FaNaTiX, P Cash, Stefflon Don and Deadly Bizzle.