Arclight Films has officially revealed a first look image at writer/director Brian Petsos’s new dark comedy, Big Gold Brick. Arclight company chairman Gary Hamilton announced the company’s acquisition and handling of international distribution rights on Wednesday.
Big Gold Brick stars Andy Garcia (Warner Bros.’ Ocean’s franchise), Emory Cohen (Fox Searchlight’s Brooklyn), Megan Fox (Transformers franchise), Lucy Hale (Sony Pictures’ Fantasy Island, AMC’s “Ragdoll”) and Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac (A24’s Ex Machina, Disney’s Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, upcoming Warner Bros.’s Dune).
The film marks a freshman feature outing for Petsos, best known for making the festival rounds with two award-winning shorts starring Isaac – Lightningface and Ticky Tacky – having screened his work for audiences at BFI London Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Denver Film Festival, Miami Short Film Festival and Rhode Island International Film Festival.
In Big Gold Brick, struggling and down-on-his-luck writer Samuel Liston (Cohen) has a chance encounter with the charismatic Floyd Deveraux (Garcia), who enlists him to write his biography and welcomes him into his grand home. The larger than life Deveraux is the patriarch to a wildly eclectic family that initially intrigues the fledgling writer. But the shocking circumstances that led to this arrangement come to a head, and efforts to write the biography are quickly stymied by pandemonium in this darkly humorous and genre-bending film.
Arclight Films will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival in September. Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the film in North America.
Big Gold Brick is produced by Petsos under his A Saboteur production banner along with Greg Lauritano (the upcoming survival-thriller Borrego), next to Jonathan Bronfman (A24’s The Witch), Jason Ross Jallet, Sergio Rizzuto and Danny Sawaf also producing. Isaac is also exec producer along with Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids).
“Big Gold Brick is a phenomenal and unique dark comedy with a superb ensemble cast – Andy, Emory, Megan, Lucy and Oscar are exceptional and have great chemistry. Brian is a rising talent and has delivered a fantastic film that is sure to resonate with international audiences,” said Hamilton.
“Gary and the fine folks at Arclight have been a part of some truly excellent films. And their tremendous enthusiasm for Big Gold Brick makes me incredibly happy to count them as our international partner,” added Petsos.
Arclight Films’ current sales slate of films also includes The Portable Door starring Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill; upcomimg franchise follow-up, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse; rom-com Queen Bees; heist thriller Twist starring Raff Law, Michael Caine, Lena Heady and Rita Ora; Venice Film Festival Official Selection The Furnace and Sundance’s critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller, Possessor.