Copyright Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Grindstone Entertainment Group has taken domestic distribution rights to the mixed martial arts action drama Beast in Me starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe, Daniel MacPherson, and Luke Hemsworth. Crowe co-wrote the movie David Frigerio in a story about a former MMA legend turned family man who is lured back into the cage for a high-stakes rematch with the champion he once defeated. Now the underdog, he must wrestle with guilt, grief, and his violent past to win one last fight for his family and himself. For Crowe, it’s the second movie he’s co-written after the 2022 feature Poker Face which he also directed. Tyler Atkins directs Beast in Me which was produced by Tim O’Hair, alongside Frigerio, John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz. The movie shot in Australia and Bangkok and was made in collaboration with Asian martial-arts franchise ONE Championship. The Solution Entertainment Group was selling the movie this past winter at EFM. Grindstone Entertainment Group, run by President and CEO Barry Brooker and principal Stan Wertlieb, has a distribution deal with Lionsgate that runs through 2027. Lionsgate and Grindstone count a near 18-year working relationship in what is a 700-title content library. Grindstone previous releases include the thriller Fall, Damaged, with Sam Jackson and Vincent Cassell; How the Gringo Stole Christmas, starring George Lopez, Desperation Road, Manadrome with Jesse Eisenberg; and Lamborghini with Frank Grillo, Mira Sorvino and Gabriel Byrne. Crowe stars in Sony Pictures Classics upcoming awards season contender, Nuremberg. Frigerio previously co-penned the Crowe, Luke and Liam Hemsworth movie, Land of Bad, from director William Eubank.
