Sony Pictures Entertainment has optioned the rights to remake A Prophet, the French hit released in the US in 2010, into an English language film to be produced by Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe through the Original Film banner, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film tells the story of a young mans rise to power in a criminal syndicate after he is mentored by a crime boss. A Prophet was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 and was honored with the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and nine César Awards (French Oscar), including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Commenting on the announcement, Moritz said, This is an epic crime saga with compelling characters and original storytelling. Im thrilled to have the opportunity to make an English language version of the film and I am grateful to have the trust of Jacques Audiard and his producers, as well as the writers Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Abdel Raouf Dafri.
Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, We think ‘A Prophet’ will translate perfectly for English-speaking audiences. Obviously, we love working with Neal and he has a great track record with this kind of film were confident that our film will excite audiences in the same way that the original material did.
