NETFLIX ACQUIRES JANE CAMPION'S "THE POWER OF THE DOG" FROM CROSS CITY FILMS STARRING BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AND ELISABETH MOSS

A SEE-SAW FILMS AND BIG SHELL FILMS/MAX FILMS PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIGHTSTAR AND BBC FILMS

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights (excluding UK free TV rights which are retained by BBC Films) to The Power of the Dog from See-Saw Films' in house sales arm Cross City Films

Netflix will release the film in 2021 on Netflix and in theaters

Netflix will be the worldwide distributor of the film, with Transmission Films releasing theatrically in Australia and New Zealand. Netflix to work with its other local partners worldwide on the theatrical release.

Director: Academy Award Winner Jane Campion

Cast: Academy Award Nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, Golden Globe and Emmy Award Winner Elisabeth Moss

Production Companies: See-Saw Films and Big Shell Films/Max Films Production in association with Brightstar and BBC Films. The project has been developed with BBC Films who are also backing production.

Producers: See-Saw Films' Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, Max Films' Roger Frappier, Big Shell's Jane Campion and Brightstar's Tanya Seghatchian.

Executive Producers: BBC Films' Rose Garnett, See-Saw's Simon Gillis and Brightstar's John Woodward

Screenwriter: Campion is adapting the Thomas Savage 1967 novel of the same name

Synopsis: Wealthy Montana brothers Phil (Cumberbatch) and George Burbank are two sides of one coin. Phil is graceful, brilliant and cruel where George is stolid, fastidious and gentle. Together they are joint owners of the biggest ranch in the Montana valley. It is a place where men are still men, the rapidly modernizing 20th century is kept at bay and where the figure of Bronco Henry, the greatest cowboy Phil ever knew, is revered. When George secretly marries local widow Rose (Moss), a shocked and angry Phil wages a sadistic, relentless war to destroy her entirely using her effeminate son Peter as a pawn.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers and Cross City Films by Simon Gillis, COO of See-Saw Films, and attorney Craig Emanuel of Paul Hastings.

ABOUT SEE-SAW FILMS

Academy Award(R) winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman founded See-Saw Films in 2008. With offices in London, Sydney and Los Angeles, See-Saw specializes in international film and television production. See-Saw's television division is run by COO TV Hakan Kousetta and Head of TV Jamie Laurenson. In 2018 company expanded its UK and Australian operations to include a US office in addition to signing a three-year first look development, financing and production deal for film with New Regency. The deal follows the success of six-time Academy Award(R) nominated Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara as well as The King's Speech which swept up four Academy Awards(R) in 2011 including Best Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Colin Firth and a Best Director nod for Tom Hooper. See-Saw's latest film projects include Widows directed by Steve McQueen and starring Viola Davis. See-Saw is currently in post-production on Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee and starring Kate Winslet and Saorise Ronan. See-Saw's television division formally started in 2012 and kicked off with the multi-award winning first season of Jane Campion's 'Top of the Lake'. Campion returned with 'Top of The Lake: China Girl' starring Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe. 'State of the Union', written by Nick Hornby, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2019 and launched on Sundance TV in May 2019. See-Saw is currently in development on 'The North Water' to be written and directed by Andrew Haigh (45 Years), adapted from the novel by Ian McGuire.

ABOUT MAX FILMS

Presided over and founded by Roger Frappier, Max Films is among the elite of Canadian Production Companies. Frappier is the only Canadian producer to have won three Golden Reel Awards for the highest box-office receipts and four Genie Awards for Best Canadian Film. Two of his films have been nominated for the best Oscar for foreign film, one of which Jesus Of Montreal by Denys Arcand won the Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. In 1998, the 51St Cannes Film Festival honored eleven film producers from across the world, Roger Frappier was among them. Cosmos, a Max Films production, directed by six young and upcoming filmmakers, amongst them Denis Villeneuve, was selected at the 1997 Cannes Festival's Directors' Fornight and won the International Art and Experimental Cinéma award. Denis Villeneuve signed also August 32 on Earth which was selected at the Un Certain Regard section and was also the Canadian entry for the Academy Award. Villeneuve following film Maelstr�m was a Max Films production and again the Canadian Entry for the Academy Award. His most recent film Hochelaga, Land Of Souls, directed by Fran�ois Girard (The Red Violin, Silk) was Canada's official selection for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars.

ABOUT BRIGHTSTAR

Brightstar is Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward's Film and Television production company.

ABOUT BBC FILMS

BBC Films is at the forefront of independent filmmaking in the UK, developing and co-producing around 12 films a year. In 2015 BBC Films was awarded the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Rose Garnett is the Director of BBC Films. BBC Films had two titles in Official Competition at the 2019 Cannes Festival: Jessica Hausner's English language debut, Little Joe (for which Emily Beecham scooped the Best Actress award) and Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You, written by Paul Laverty. BBC Films had three films in Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January, including Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir which won the International Grand Jury Prize; Sacha Polak's Dirty God, and Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Upcoming BBC Films titles inlcude Sean Durkin's highly anticipated The Nest, starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon; Judy, directed by Rupert Goold and starring Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland; Blue Story, the debut feature from Andrew 'Rapman' Onwubolu; Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee, starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet; Mughal Mowgli directed by Bassam Tariq and co-written, produced by and starring Riz Ahmed; The Souvenir II, Joanna Hogg's sequel to her Sundance award-winner; Misbehaviour from Philippa Lowthorpe starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jessie Buckley; Herself directed by Phyllida Lloyd from a script by Clare Dunne and Malcolm Campbell; His House by first-time UK writer/director, Remi Weekes; Lynn and Lucy, the debut feature from Fyzal Boulifa; Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always from acclaimed director, Eliza Hittman and produced by PASTEL; Monsoon written and directed by Hong Khaou and starring Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians); Horrible Histories: The Movie directed by Dominic Brigstocke and written by Jessica Swale; Perfect 10, the feature debut from Eva Riley; Molly from Sally Potter, starring Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock and Laura Linney; and Make Up, the debut feature from Claire Oakley. bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms @BBCFilms