One of the films which went surprisingly unpurchased in the wake of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival was "I Love You, Phillip Morris," written/directed by the two-man team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Their 'based on true events' story of conman Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) is a fairly outlandish one, and the presence of Ewan McGregor - as Russell's lover, the titular Phillip Morris - only adds to the appeal for potential buyers.
Now Variety brings word that "Phillip Morris" has been scooped up for domestic distribution by Consolidated Pictures Group. A planned Valentine's Day release is mentioned, presumably in 2010, though the year is not explicitly stated. The distribution deal between Consolidated and financier EuropaCorp reportedly falls into the "mid-seven-figure" range.
While I didn't love "Phillip Morris" when I caught the Sundance premiere, Steven Russell's amazing story alone is enough to keep things entertaining. Especially given the fact that the writer/directors revealed during the post-screening Q&A that roughly 85% of what's in the movie is true. Most of it culled from the craziest bits of Russell's story.
Are any of you readers out there on the Internets aware of the saga of Steven Russell and Phillip Morris? Have you heard any buzz on the film? Excited to hear the news that it will definitely be getting a domestic release?
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