EXCLUSIVE: Oscar and Olivier winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) is set to star in and make his feature directorial debut with Nice Fish, alongside five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain), Jim Lichtscheidl (A Serious Man), and Isabella LaBlanc (True Detective: Night Country).

Tamara Birkemoe, CEO of Palisades Park Pictures, is launching international sales on the project at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. CAA Media Finance will represent North American rights.

Nice Fish first originated as a successful stage play, later earning an Olivier Award nomination. The production was largely a collaboration between Rylance and prose poet Louis Jenkins, who wrote more than 600 prose poems during his lifetime, many of which were adapted into the film’s screenplay, written by Rylance and Lichtscheidl.

The synopsis reads: “Hoping to rekindle an old friendship, childhood buddies Ron and Erik set out for a day’s ice-fishing, on the last day of the ice-fishing season. However, they discover that now in adulthood their comradeship is on thin ice, which easily cracks; one man behaves like a child, the other man like a too-grown-up. Imagination and reason divided. With the help of three mysterious women they meet as they travel further on the ice, can Ron and Erik find a way to reconnect, re-unite, and enjoy a new friendship? And more importantly, catch that elusive giant fish, as the ice begins to melt…”

The film is a co-production between Water & Power Productions and Shakespeare Road Productions. Producers include Tom Miller (The Phantom of the Open) and James Swarbrick (The Scurry) from Water & Power, Rylance and Claire Walden (Wolf Hall) from Shakespeare Road, and Dan Clifton (Last Breath), with Brianna Lee Johnson (Trap House) as line producer.

Behind-the-camera talent includes Jörg Widmer (The Way of the Wind), BAFTA-nominated editor Paul Watts (The Zone of Interest), costume designer Ilona Somogyi (from the original Nice Fish stage production), with production design by April Lasky (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies).

“I grew up in the Midwest and later built my acting career in London, but returning to Minnesota reconnected me with the light, the cold, the distinct culture of Minnesota and Wisconsin,” said Rylance.

He continued: “An ice fishing trip and the work of a local poet inspired what became Nice Fish, an Olivier-nominated stage play, and now my first feature as a director. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with an incredible team, drawing inspiration from filmmakers and classic comedic pairings that have long influenced me.”

Producer Tom Miller shared: “We are so pleased and honoured to be working with Mark again, particularly on his directorial debut, and with the wonderful Jim, Michelle, Isabella, and an incredible crew, we’re hooked!”

“Mark and Jim have written a film that is emotional, funny and refreshingly original,” said Birkemoe. “And with an outstanding talent like Michelle alongside them, this is poised to become a true tour de force on every level.”

Mark Rylance is repped by CAA and Peikoff Mahan Law Office; Michelle Williams is repped by CAA, and Isabella LaBlance is repped by Innovative Artists and Liberman-Zerman Management.