EXCLUSIVE: This was always going to be one of the hottest packages at the Cannes market, and now Warner Bros’ new label Clockwork has beaten out rivals to take The Brigands of Rattlecreek off the table in a North American deal pegged in the mid-teen millions. The studio is in exclusive negotiations for the movie and a deal is all but done.

Cannes film festival jury president Park Chan-Wook is set to direct the buzzy movie, which is due to star Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Dune: Part Two), four-time Emmy nominee Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Chinese star Tang Wei (Decision to Leave).

The movie will follow a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town. The story will alight on themes central to Park’s oeuvre of vengeance, retribution, the consequences of violence and the power of memory and family, but this time in the American West. 

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Filming is being lined up for first quarter of next year and understandably this will be a big theatrical play for the new WB specialty label, whose one announced new project so far is Sean Baker’s next movie Ti Amo! The division is also behind the new cut of Ken Russell’s The Devils, which is playing at Cannes and will be re-released in October. Park’s movie seems perfect fare for the division, which is being oriented toward auteur-type filmmakers with broad appeal.

The original screenplay by Bone Tomahawk‘s S. Craig Zahler is the next film for the Oldboy and The Handmaiden director. Park did revisions on the most recent draft. Producing are Bradley Fischer (Zodiac) of Wise Owl, and Park for Moho Film (No Other Choice). Back Jisun for Moho Film, Mike Medavoy and Georgia Kacandes are executive producers. 

Patrick Wachsberger’s Legendary label 193 is handling international sales while WME Independent and CAA Media Finance handled the North America deal.

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Park has been keen to make the Black List script for more than a decade; the project first came to light more than 20 years ago and Warner Bros and Amazon had both been attached at different times. It was a rare package in the indie market for its combination of genuine A-list talent, a beloved filmmaker and the genre. The project’s scope is impressive and the budget was being pegged north of $60 million. Bone Tomahawk remains one of the most entertaining Westerns of the past 20 years, so there has been plenty of goodwill for this one.

Korean auteur Park is coming off acclaimed crime comedy No Other Choice, which debuted at Cannes, scored three Golden Globe nominations and more than $40M worldwide. His previous English-language projects include limited series The Sympathizer, miniseries The Little Drummer Girl and Fox Searchlight’s Stoker.

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