LIFEHACK: Highland Takes World Sales Rights To ‘Wanted’ Director’s Screenlife Cyber Heist Thriller
Set to launch sales at the American Film Market, Highland Film Group is handling international sales to the acclaimed cyber heist thriller LifeHack. Coming from Searching and Missing producer Timur Bekmambetov and Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender as well as 2025 British Independent Film Awards nominees director Ronan Corrigan and producers Joann Kushner and Sasha Kletsov, the film world premiered earlier this year at SXSW to rave reviews and currently holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie expands on Bekmambetov’s pioneering work in the screenlife format – where entire stories unfold on digital screens – which he turned it into a commercially successful genre, generating multiple box office global hits. His credits include Sony Pictures’ Searching (2018), which grossed over $75 million on a $1 million budget, and its sequel Missing (2023), which earned nearly $50 million on a $7 million budget. Bekmambetov most recently directed Mercy for Amazon MGM Studios, a thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, set for theatrical release in January 2026. He produced the film alongside Charles Roven (Oppenheimer).
Inspired by true events, LifeHack follows Kyle and his crew of cyber Robin Hoods who hack scammers and steal from the people the internet loves to hate. But when they attempt a digital heist targeting an infamous crypto billionaire, they’re pulled into high-stakes cyber warfare with consequences in the real world.
The thriller is directed by Irish filmmaker Ronan Corrigan, in his feature film debut, from a screenplay by Corrigan and Hope Elliot Kemp. Bekmambetov produces alongside Joann Kushner and Sasha Kletsov, with Bazelevs and Screenlife Liverpool serving as production companies. Michael Fassbender executive produces with his partners Daniel Emmerson and Conor McCaughan at DMC Film (Kneecap, The Kitchen, Scrapper, Calm with Horses).
LifeHack stars Georgie Farmer (Netflix’s Wednesday), Yasmin Finney (Netflix’s Heartstopper, BBC’s Doctor Who), Roman Hayeck-Green (Netflix’s Sex Education), YouTube influencer James Scholz, Jessica Reynolds (Netflix’s House of Guinness) and Charlie Creed-Miles (Netflix’s Peaky Blinders).
“LifeHack is a riveting heist film. We are delighted to collaborate with producer Timur Bekmambetov who invented the screenlife genre as it stands today and has made it highly profitable with many global successes including Searching, Missing and Unfriended,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. “This is such a smart and entertaining project with cross-generational reach – it connects all generations with its strong emotional pull and unexpected plot twists. The movie’s clever storytelling and the breathtaking editing rivals some of the best heist films over the past few years.,” added Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier.
Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes Justin Chadwick’s spy thriller The Mark starring Jessica Alba, Tom Hopper and Angus Sampson; Brad Anderson’s psychological thriller Moral Capacity starring Dacre Montgomery, Diane Lane, Sofia Boutella and Tim Robbins; the espionage action thriller Stratagem starring Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo; Martin Campbell‘s thriller Just Play Dead starring Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; Adrian Grunberg’s action-thriller Protector starring Milla Jovovich; and the action crime thriller The Deputy starring Duke Nicholson, William H. Macy, Tiffany Haddish and Stephen Dorff.
Lead image by Shunya Carroll
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
