Focus Features Acquires Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World

Focus Features acquires domestic distribution rights to Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, Lorene Scafaria pre-apocalyptic comedic romance starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.

Indian Paintbrush and Mandate Pictures are co-financing with filming beginning this month on Anonymous Content production.

Focus Features has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, written and to be directed by Lorene Scafaria. Indian Paintbrush and Mandate Pictures are co-financing the movie. The contemporary comedic romance stars Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley. Filming begins this month in Los Angeles. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is being produced by Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Steve Golin and Joy Gorman of Anonymous Content; and by Indian Paintbrush's Steven Rales and Mark Roybal. Mandate Pictures' Nathan Kahane and Nicole Brown are executive producers; Mandate's Kelli Konop and Indian Paintbrush's Jeff Sommerville are co-producers. Lionsgate is handling international sales on the title.

Set in a too-near future, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World explores what people will do when humanity's last days are at hand. Can one man find his greatest love at the worst possible time? As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks - if not the world's - brighten.

Ms. Scafaria, who wrote the original screenplay, is making her feature directorial debut with the film. She wrote the screenplay adaptation for the 2008 feature Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, also for Mandate, which starred Michael Cera and Kat Dennings.

Mr. Schamus commented, "Lorene has created a very funny story about the human condition, and about how love is the only thing that can save us all. We're excited to be partnering with Indian Paintbrush and Mandate, and working with Lorene on her directorial debut - she's an extraordinary talent who is particularly adept at drawing interesting and dynamic characters and their worlds."

Ms. Scafaria added, "This story has been many years in the making and I couldn't ask for a better team of people to help bring it to life. I'm absolutely thrilled that Steve and Keira are joining me at the end of the world."

Mr. Roybal said, "This epic and comedic love story is going to be the first of many wonderful films that Lorene will make, and everyone at Indian Paintbrush is proud to be here at the beginning."

Ms. Gorman said, "Focus is the perfect distributor for intelligent, distinctive films like Seeking a Friend. Anonymous and Focus had great success together with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and we are thrilled to be in business with them again. It's an honor for us to be producing Lorene's directing debut and we couldn't ask for a better team behind her than Focus, Mandate, and Indian Paintbrush."

Mr. Carell has won Screen Actors Guild Awards as a member of the ensembles of the film Little Miss Sunshine and the television series The Office; he won a Golden Globe Award for his performance on the latter. Ms. Knightley has previously starred for Focus in Joe Wright's Atonement and Pride & Prejudice; she was an Academy Award nominee for her performance in the latter.