SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO LIFETIME FILMS' "THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD" STARRING ACADEMY AWARD(R) WINNER KEVIN KLINE AS THE INFAMOUS ERROL FLYNN, ACADEMY AWARD(R) WINNER SUSAN SARANDON AND DAKOTA FANNING
Los Angeles, CA (April 9, 2014) - Samuel Goldwyn Films proudly announced today a Fall 2014 release of co-writers and co-directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's The Last of Robin Hood. Academy Award(R) winner Kevin Kline stars as Hollywood icon Errol Flynn in this stylish biopic about the actor's final years and his May-December romance with starlet, Beverly Aadland (Dakota Fanning), and her mother's role, Florence Aadland (Academy Award(R) winner Susan Sarandon) in encouraging the relationship. Flynn is widely regarded as the first action-hero in Hollywood. The film, from Lifetime Films, also features Bryan Batt, Max Casella, Jason Davis, Matt Kane, Patrick St. Esprit, Ric Reitz, and Justina Machado.
Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling Hollywood star and notorious ladies man, flouted convention all his life, but never more brazenly than in his last years when, swimming in vodka and unwilling to face his mortality, he undertook a liaison with an aspiring actress, Beverly Aadland. The two had a high-flying affair that spanned the globe and was enabled by the girl's fame-obsessed mother, Florence. It all came crashing to an end in October 1959, when events forced the relationship into the open, sparking an avalanche of publicity castigating Beverly and her mother - which only fed Florence's need to stay in the spotlight. The Last of Robin Hood is a story about the desire for fame and the price it exacts.
According to Peter Goldwyn, Senior Vice President of Samuel Goldwyn Films: "The Last of Robin Hood captures a very unique aspect of Hollywood and celebrity. The film takes place in 1959, but it might as well be 2014. You have an aging superstar struggling to maintain his fame, a starlet chasing her big break, a manipulative "stage" mother, and the public's timeless curiosity, almost obsession with, "celebrity." The non-stop, sensational tabloid coverage of Errol Flynn's life and relationship mirrors exactly the kind of coverage this story would receive in Hollywood 55 years later."
Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Lifetime, says: "The Last of Robin Hood is full of powerful performances by some of the finest actors of our time. We are proud to partner with Samuel Goldwyn Films on its release this fall so that the film's scandalous, complex and surprisingly moving story of Errol Flynn and Beverly Aadland can be seen by all."
Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland added, "We are truly excited to be releasing The Last of Robin Hood with Goldwyn. A film about Hollywood's golden years needs a classic Hollywood distributor."
The deal was negotiated by Ian Puente, Vice President and General Counsel of Samuel Goldwyn Films and by Molly Thompson of Lifetime Films / A+E Studios and John Sloss of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.
A Lifetime Films presentation in association with Killer Films and Big Indie Pictures, The Last of Robin Hood was produced by Declan Baldwin, Maggie Malina, Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon. Executive producers include Todd Haynes, Rob Sharenow, Tanya Lopez, Molly Thompson, Colleen McCormick and Lisa Hamilton Daly.
ABOUT SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
Samuel Goldwyn Films is a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company that develops, produces and distributes innovative feature films and documentaries. The company is dedicated to working with both world-renowned and emerging writers/filmmakers and committed to filmed entertainment that offers original voices in uniquely told stories. This is best exemplified by the Academy Award(r) nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE and SUPER SIZE ME; AMAZING GRACE and Julie Delpy's hit comedy 2 DAYS IN PARIS. Past Goldwyn titles include: the critically hailed ELEGY, HARRY BROWN starring Michael Caine, the box office smash FIREPROOF and the 2010 independent hit MAO'S LAST DANCER. Samuel Goldwyn Films also released THE WHISTLEBLOWER, a powerful, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller starring Academy Award(r) winner Rachel Weisz, and the 2012 critics' darling ROBOT & FRANK, starring Academy Award(r) nominee Frank Langella and Academy Award(r) winner Susan Sarandon. Additional Samuel Goldwyn Films releases include: DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL; Gilles Bourdos' RENOIR, the lush film about the famous painter's later years and France's official submission for the 2014 Academy Awards(r); Academy Award(r) nominee James Cromwell starrer STILL MINE; and the much buzzed about Jason Wise film SOMM. Current and upcoming releases include: Academy Award(r) winner Freida Mock's critically acclaimed documentary ANITA, featuring in-depth interviews with Anita Hill; filmmaker Lucia Puenzo's haunting film and Argentina's official submission to the 2014 Academy Awards(r), THE GERMAN DOCTOR; William H. Macy's feature directorial debut and Sundance hit RUDDERLESS; and IVORY TOWER, Andrew Rossi's urgent portrait of one of the great American institutions at its breaking point.
ABOUT LIFETIME FILMS
A division of A+E Studios, Lifetime Films is dedicated to developing, producing and acquiring female-focused independent movies. Lifetime Films projects include The Last of Robin Hood, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and the upcoming motion picture Lila and Eve, starring Viola Davis, Jennifer Lopez and Shea Whigham. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.
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