Image Nation Abu Dhabi has announced a deal to fully finance James Ponsoldt’s upcoming feature adaptation of Dave Eggers’ novel The Circle, also revealing that Ex Machina star Alicia Vikander will join the previously-attached Tom Hanks. The film will be presented by Image Nation in association with Parkes MacDonald Productions.
Eggers’ novel focuses on a young woman who is hired for a big job in an Internet monopoly called the Circle, which links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. The book turns into contemporary thriller about the perils of life in a digital age where personal data is collected, sifted and monetized and used for surveillance, rendering privacy obsolete.
The Circle has been written and will be directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now). The film is being produced by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone, Anthony Bregman for Likely Story, and Ponsoldt.
Three other major roles are currently out to casting and will be announced shortly. Shooting on The Circle will start August 2015 in California.
“The Circle is a fantastic modern day thriller that shines a light on the role of the Internet and our own identities in a world of increasing transparency and privacy issues,” says Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation. “Image Nation is thrilled to be working with the Playtone team, as well as A Likely Story and James Ponsoldt, on its next international production… Image Nation’s international projects have helped subsidize and build our local industry here in Abu Dhabi and the region, while creating opportunities for our local talent to work on large scale international productions and this film will help continue that effort.”
“We have a long history with Tom Hanks and Playtone and have had the privilege of working with Tom on such projects as ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ ‘The Terminal’ and ‘Road to Perdition,’” adds Walter Parkes of Parkes Macdonald. “When we heard a filmmaker of James Ponsoldt’s stature was looking for financing partners for The Circle, we felt that our relationship with Image Nation put us in a unique position to help make this extraordinary project a reality.”
This project marks the second time Hanks has collaborated with Eggers. Hanks also stars in the upcoming Eggers’ adaptation A Hologram For the King, directed by Tom Tykwer.
IM Global are handling international sales on the film and will be repping it at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. US rights are being jointly repped by UTA Independent Film Group and CAA.
