Scripted TV series based on the Jennifer Lopez film “Hustlers” and the Mila Kunis comedy “Bad Moms” will soon be put into development as part of a new distribution agreement between STXfilms and Lionsgate, the companies announced Wednesday.
STXfilms, which released “Hustlers” from 2019 and “Bad Moms” from 2016 along with its sequel “A Bad Moms Christmas” in 2017, are just two of the 75-library titles under which Lionsgate will now handle marketing and distribution. It also means Lionsgate will theatrically domestically distribute new STXfilms releases.
The first film to be released under the new deal is “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” a thriller starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Neil Burger. Lionsgate will now jointly release the film with Roadside Attractions on October 6.
Nothing is in the works just yet on the “Hustlers” or “Bad Moms” front, and it’s unclear if any of the original cast or crew from either movie will be involved in the new shows either as actors or in a producing capacity.
Despite a handful of box office successes, including for “Hustlers” and its $157.5 million gross, STX Entertainment at the end of 2021 found itself with $148 million of debt and was ultimately bought by investment firm The Najafi Companies following a short-lived merger with the Indian company Eros International. The company was unable to secure a buyer for its 75-film library to pay off its debt, leading to its acquisition.
But at the time, Lionsgate explored a last-minute acquisition of STX that never came to pass, and STX’s motion picture group chair Adam Fogelson later that year left the company to join Lionsgate. STX’s film output since then has been limited save for some releases that have struggled at the box office such as “The Covenant,” “Run Rabbit Run,” and “Operation Fortune: Ruse du Guerre.”
Some of STX’s other library titles, for which Lionsgate will now handle future release or licensing plans, include Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen,” the Gerard Butler thriller “Greenland,” “Molly’s Game” from Aaron Sorkin, and “I Feel Pretty” with Amy Schumer.
“The Marsh King’s Daughter” is based on Karen Dionne’s New York Times bestseller and is a thriller about a woman with a secret past who ventures into the wilderness she left behind to confront the most dangerous man she’s ever met: her father, the infamous Marsh King.
The film stars Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Garrett Hedlund, Caren Pistorius (Unhinged), Brooklynn Prince, and Gil Birmingham. Burger (“Limitless”) directed the film from a screenplay by Elle Smith & Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant”). It’s produced by Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman, Keith Redmon, and Mark L. Smith. The executive producers are Michael Heimler, Charles Miller, Cliff Roberts, Robert Simonds, Adam Fogelson, John Friedberg, and Samuel J. Brown. The film was fully financed by Black Bear, who produced along side Anonymous Content.
“Theatrical exhibition continues to be essential to our company, and that’s especially true for movies like ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ and its director, Neil Burger, with whom we had such a fantastic success with The Upside,” STX Entertainment CEO Noah Fogelson said in a statement. “As Bob and I sought a longterm strategic distribution partner, Lionsgate was our first and best choice. We are excited to begin our deal with ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter.’ We believe their production, marketing and distribution teams are the absolute best in the business and many of their marketing executives are already intimately familiar with our slate. That alone would make them a natural home. But we’re also huge fans of everything Jon, Michael, and Joe have built, and we are thrilled to be reunited with Adam and part of the powerful resources that the Lionsgate family can offer.”
Deadline first reported the news.
