June 01, 2005


DreamWorks nets Allen's 'Match Point'



By Anne Thompson
Woody Allen has found a home for his dark relationship thriller "Match Point," which screened Out of Competition at the Festival de Cannes. The New York auteur is back in business with DreamWorks, which has picked up North American rights for $4 million.

"I've always had enormous respect and affection for the people at DreamWorks, and their enthusiasm over my film makes me feel absolutely certain we chose the right people to distribute it," Allen said.

The first film Allen has shot in England, "Match Point" stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a social-climbing tennis instructor who marries into a wealthy family. Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton also star. The movie was among the best-reviewed in Cannes; many Croisette observers believed that if Allen had agreed to submit the drama in Competition, it might have snagged the Palme d'Or.

Hanway Films, Allen's sales agents, had been looking to sell the BBC Films co-production for as much as $10 million, several North American buyers said. But while many considered the film Allen's best in years, they also said the director's name might mean less at the boxoffice than it did during the Oscar winner's prime.


Fox Searchlight, which released Allen's most recent film, "Melinda and Melinda," did not make a bid. But according to sources at DreamWorks, the company beat out a higher bid from the Weinstein Co. Reps for the Weinstein Co. had no comment at press time.

There were offers as well from Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics. Allen opted for the DreamWorks' bid -- even if it was not the highest offer on the table -- because of his interest in teaming again with DreamWorks.

In 2000, Allen forged a three-picture deal with DreamWorks, which released "Small Time Crooks," followed by 2001's "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" and 2002's "Hollywood Ending." After hearing the critical buzz in Cannes, DreamWorks marketing chief Terry Press returned to Los Angeles and asked to screen the dramatic thriller, which has a darker tone than Allen's comedies. On her recommendation, DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg, chief operating officer Rick Sands and production executive Adam Goodman decided to pursue the acquisition.

Sands, who joined DreamWorks this year, worked with Allen at Miramax Films, which released "Celebrity," "Everyone Says I Love You," "Mighty Aphrodite" and "Bullets Over Broadway." "The film screened fabulously in Cannes," Sands said of "Match Point." "We enjoy being in business with auteurs and major directors like Woody Allen."

Press, who persuaded the media-averse Allen to attend his first Academy Awards ceremony in 2002, plans to pursue the top film festivals in the fall as well as launch an Oscar campaign, which will include a push for Johansson as best supporting actress. Press believes audiences recognize that Allen not only directs comedies but also more serious dramas such as "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Interiors."

"The tone of this movie is classic Hollywood moviemaking with a twist," she said. "It's a movie for adults that will work on a grass-roots level like 'Crash.' The cast is very appealing. The movie sells itself."

"Match Point" is a BBC Films and Thema Prods. presentation of a Jada production, written and directed by Allen, produced by Letty Aronson, Gareth Wiley and Lucy Darwin, with Helen Robin and Nicky Kentish Barnes co-producing. Executive producer is Stephen Tenenbaum, with Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe serving as co-executive producers.

The deal was negotiated by DreamWorks' Sands, Hanway Film's Tim Haslon and Aronson.

Allen is preparing to shoot his second London film this year, also starring his current muse, Johansson.