As audiences gray around the world, projects aimed at baby boomers are a hot commodity.
One of the top sellers at the American Film Market this year is And So It Goes, starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton. P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend's Wedding, Muriel's Wedding) will direct from a script by Mark Andrus (As Good As It Gets).
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Foresight Unlimited, which is financing and producing And So It Goes with Rob Reiner's Castle Rock Entertainment, has closed a raft of deals for the project.
Reiner was personally on hand at AFM to plug the movie in meetings with foreign buyers.
In And So It Goes, Douglas will play a self-centered and eccentric realtor who couldn’t care less about anyone else, but when his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter he never knew, his life is turned upside down. Now, with the help of his determined and loveable neighbor, Leah (Keaton), Oren stubbornly learns to care, and unexpectedly, to fall in love again.
"The important demographic for moviegoing has shifted," Foresight's Mark Damon said, adding that the movie will begin shooting in the spring. "Young people have too many other diversions. It is the older generation that goes to the movies."
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Castle Rock's Alan Greisman added: “There’s a large demographic and need for these kind of films as evidenced by box office successes such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, It's Complicated and Bucket List. “Diane and Michael are Hollywood legends who will shine in this hilarious and heartfelt story."
Greisman will produce alongside Reiner and Damon. Executive producers include Foresight's Tamara Birkemoe and Grant Cramer.
Other popular AFM projects this year that cater to older audiences include JFK assassination drama Parkland, starring Paul Giamatti, Billy Bob Thornton and Jacki Weaver, and Imagine, starring Al Pacino as an aging rock star. Imagine also stars Jeremy Renner and Julianne Moore.
Exclusive Media is selling Playtone's Parkland, while Mister Smith Entertainment has closed a number of deals for Imagine.
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In several territories, there were bidding wars for And So It Goes, insiders say. The film went to Telepool in Germany, MGN Paradise in Russia, Hoyts in Australia, Impuls in Switzerland, Tripictures in Spain, Playarte in Latin America, Eone in Benelux, Scanbox in Scandinavia, Freeman in Eastern Europe, Freeman in Eastern Europe, Tanweer in India, SSG in Taiwan and PT Amero in Indonesia.
Foresight says other deals are imminent.
Foresight’s current slate includes Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana and Emile Hirsch, and 2 Guns, starring Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, which is in postproduction. Both films will be released in the U.S. by Universal in 2013 and are produced by Emmett/Furla and executive produced by Envision.