Neon, Studiocanal, Blueprint Pictures announced today that they will be co-producing a narrative version of the documentary The Painter and The Thief.
The Norwegian doc, which premiered this year in May and was directed by Benjamin Ree, followed painter Barbora Kysilkova, who befriended the man who stole two of her paintings. The film holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It is excepted to be a contender in the documentary category this award season.
Neon struck Oscar gold this year by producing Parasite. The studio also garnered critical acclaim with I, Tonya, Apollo 11, Three Identical Strangers, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and the upcoming Ammonite.
Joining them is Studiocanal and Blueprint pictures. The former is responsible for financing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, the Paddington films, and the upcoming Secret Garden. Blueprint Pictures is known for producing The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its Sequel, In Bruges, and Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.
No word yet on any cast or production team negotiations, though Florence Pugh could capture Kysilkova’s vibrant personality.
This documentary was easily one of the best I’ve seen this year. A moving portrait of empathy and forgiveness, let’s hope that Hollywood keeps the integrity and nuance of the documentary and not make it too saccharine.
You can watch the trailer for the original The Painter and The Thief documentary below and read our review here.
