The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired US rights to How I Live Now, the new film from Academy Award winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Marley) starring Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement), based on the award winning novel by Meg Rosoff. The film was produced by Charles Steel, Alasdair Flind, Andrew Ruhemann and John Battsek.
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive.
“Grandly scaled, beautifully crafted, with a terrific performance from the always great Saoirse Ronan, ‘How I Live Now’ is equally successful as a tense apocalyptic thriller and a great teenage romance,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “We’re very happy to once again be working with Kevin Macdonald, one of the rare filmmaker who excels at both documentary and narrative features.”
Said director Kevin Macdonald: “Having read Meg’s novel I was immediately drawn to adapt this magical, melancholic version of England. This teenage love story is brought to life with a truly fantastic performance from Saoirse, who was a joy and pleasure to work with. I’m delighted that Magnolia are will be releasing the film – and looking forward to be working with them again.”
Magnolia Pictures is eyeing a fall theatrical release for How I Live Now.
