Bron Creative to Executive Produce and Co-Finance Jennifer Kent's THE NIGHTINGALE

Bron Creative will executive produce and co-finance THE NIGHTINGALE, a period thriller written and directed by Jennifer Kent, who previously wrote and directed the acclaimed feature The Babadook. Made Up Stories, together with major production investment from Screen Australia, and in association with the Tasmanian Government through Screen Tasmania, and the South Australian Film Corporation will co-finance the picture as well. THE NIGHTINGALE will begin production in March in Tasmania, Australia.

Set in Tasmania in 1825, THE NIGHTINGALE follows a beautiful 21-year-old Irish female convict who witnesses the brutal murder of her husband and baby by her soldier master and his cronies. Unable to find justice, she takes an Aboriginal male tracker with her through the hellish wilderness to seek revenge on the men, and gets much more than she bargained for.

THE NIGHTINGALE will star Aisling Franciosi (Ambition, Jimmy's Hall, The Fall) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2, Me Before You, The Huntsman). Damon Herriman ("Quarry"), Ewen Leslie (The Daughter, "Top of the Lake"), Harry Greenwood (Hacksaw Ridge), Aboriginal Djuki Mala dancer Baykali Ganambarr and East Arnhem Land indigenous model Magnolia Maymuru round out the cast.

The producers are Kristina Ceyton (The Babadook, Cargo) and Bruna Papandrea (Wild, "Big Little Lies," Warm Bodies, Gone Girl). Aaron L. Gilbert, Andy Pollack, Jason Cloth (Fences, The Birth of a Nation, Tully) and Brenda Gilbert (Beatriz at Dinner, The Birth of a Nation, I Saw the Light) are executive producers for Bron; Ben Browning and Alison Cohen are executive producers for FilmNation; and Steve Hutensky (2:22) is exec producer for Made Up Stories. Jeanne Snow will oversee for Made Up Stories.

Kent is repped by WME, Gary Ungar and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

WME is handling North American rights. FilmNation is handling international sales. The film has already been sold for Australia/New Zealand distribution rights to Transmission Films.

MADE UP STORIES: This production will mark the first film for Bruna Papandrea's new production venture Made Up Stories. Prior to Made Up Stories, she launched and operated the production banner Pacific Standard with Reese Witherspoon.

Pacific Standard acquired and produced the bestselling books WILD by Cheryl Strayed starring Reese Witherspoon. directed by Jean Marc Vallee and GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn, directed by David Fincher. WILD garnered two Oscar nominations and GONE GIRL has made over 300 million worldwide, earned one. The company also produced HOT PURSUIT, a comedy starring Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara.

Papandrea recently executive produced the limited series BIG LITTLE LIES starring Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern for HBO.

CAUSEWAY FILMS produced the highly successful feature film THE BABADOOK by writer/director Jennifer Kent that premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival to great critical acclaim. The film garnered over 40 awards and nominations, including winning the 2015 AACTA award for Best Film as well as the 2014 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best First Film, and receiving a British Independent Film Awards Nomination. Causeway Films is currently in post-production on the film CARGO starring acclaimed British actor Martin Freeman, to be released in late 2017.

BRON CREATIVE is a joint venture of the Bron and Creative Wealth Media groups. The two groups have previously come together on more than 20 productions including; Denzel Washington's FENCES (Paramount), Jason Reitman's TULLY, Nate Parker's THE BIRTH OF A NATION (Fox Searchlight), and Marc Abraham's I SAW THE LIGHT (Sony Classics). Led by Jason Cloth and Aaron L. Gilbert, Bron Creative is represented by William Morris Endeavor and Goodmans LLP.

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