THR is reporting that Brendan Muldowney’s new historical epic Pilgrimage has struck deals for distribution in a number of key territories worldwide, ahead of its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
StudioCanal has acquired the UK and Irish rights, with Eagle Pictures taking Italy, Transmission taking Australia and New Zealand, A Contracorriente taking Spain, Falcon the Middle East, AT Entertainment Japan, With Lion South Korea, Fox for first-run Asian Pay TV, and Fabula Films taking Turkey. They join RJL Entertainment, who acquired the US rights in February.
The film is set in Ireland in 1209 and sees a small group of monks begin a reluctant pilgrimage across an island torn between centuries of tribal warfare and the growing power of Norman invaders. Escorting their monastery’s holiest relic to Rome, the monks’ progress is seen through the eyes of a pious young novice and a mute lay-brother with a violent past. As the true material, political and religious significance of the bejewelled relic becomes dangerously apparent, their path to the east coast becomes increasingly fraught with danger. The monks belatedly realise that in this wild land of ancient superstitions, the faith that binds them together may ultimately lead to their destruction.
Muldowney has gathered an extraordinary cast of Irish and international stars, led by the new Spider-Man Tom Holland as a novice monk. He is joined by The Hobbit‘s Richard Armitage as a misanthropic knight and Walking Dead and Punisher star Jon Berthal as a mute brother with a violent past. Local talent includes John Lynch (The Fall), Hugh O’Conor (The Stag), Ruaidhri Conroy (Jack Taylor), Tristan McConnell (Vikings), and Lochlann O’Mearain (Poison Pen).
The film was written by Jamie Hannigan, with Muldowney’s Love Eternal cinematographer Tom Comerford returning to work with the director once again. It is an Irish/Belgian co-production with Conor Barry and John Keville of Dublin-based Savage Productions and Benoit Roland of Wrong Men North as producers. Financing comes from the Irish Film Board, Creative Europe, Broadcasting Authority Of Ireland, Wallimages, and the Wallonia Cultural Fund. XYZ Films is executive producing and brokered the deals.
Savage Productions are delighted to be joined by a partner of the calibre of Studiocanal on the next stage of our journey with Pilgrimage. We are excited that a U.K. and Irish audience will now get to see our amazing cast bring the characters and visceral world of Pilgrimage to life.
John Keville, Producer – Savage Productions