Bob and Harvey Weinstein announced today that Emma Watson (HARRY POTTER franchise, THE BLING RING, THIS IS THE END, NOAH) will star in the upcoming thriller REGRESSION. The film, based on Alejandro Amenábar’s original screenplay, will be directed by Amenabar and produced by his longtime partner Fernando Bovaira for his company MOD Entertainment together with Canadian producer Christina Piovesan. REGRESSION will also star Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke (THE PURGE, BEFORE MIDNIGHT) and be released by TWC-Dimension in 2015. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales.
The storyline is currently being kept under wraps.
REGRESSION sees the return of Amenábar to the thriller genre, where he and Dimension previously had great success with THE OTHERS, which grossed over $200 million worldwide and starred Nicole Kidman.
“I am passionate about Alejandro and his work and am so happy to be collaborating with him. I’m really excited by the challenge my character presents to me as an actress… I can’t wait to begin,” said Watson.
“Emma is a beautiful, humane, sensitive and very talented woman, and I feel very fortunate to be working with her. I’m sure that her long-standing stellar career has barely begun,” said Amenábar.
REGRESSION marks the fourth planned release under TWC-Dimension, which has Bob and Harvey teaming up in acquiring, developing, producing and distributing films for which they both share a common passion. Other titles under the label so far include PADDINGTON, MURDER MYSTERY, and PASSENGERS. Although the Weinstein brothers have built their company working side by side, they have been primarily responsible for their own labels, with Harvey focusing on TWC and Bob on Dimension Films. TWC-Dimension will allow for the two to join forces and combine some of the core prestigious sensibilities of a TWC film with the mainstream sensibilities of a Dimension film. The new moniker will further be used to expand and develop future franchises allowing collaborations with respected and emerging filmmakers and talent on productions and acquisitions of all budget ranges.