The Weinstein Company has acquired the rights to Passengers, a sci-fi romance that will pair Reese Witherspoon with Keanu Reeves.
TWC won the rights to the film, making a multi-million dollar guarantee to spend $25 million or more to market and release the film, notes The Hollywood Reporter. The film is being produced and financed by Wayfare Entertainment .
Reeves and Stephen Hamel’s Company Films developed the project, which was penned by Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts. TV director Brian Krik, who has worked on Game of Thrones, was recruited to direct.
According to Deadline, Reeves will star as a member of a group of thousands of people on their way to a mining colony. On the trip, the group is put to sleep, but Reeves’ sleeping chamber malfunctions and he wakes up 90 years before he was supposed to. Witherspoon will play another member of the group who gets woken up early by Reeves and they fall in love.
The project will be produced by Wayfare CEO Ben Browning and Hamel. The executive producers include Start Media’s Michael Maher and Lynwood Spinks.
While TWC snapped up domestic rights at Cannes, Exclusive Media is still selling it to international buyers. It’s expected to hit theaters in 2014.
TWC has also picked up U.S. rights to Michelle Williams’ Suite Francaise, Stephen Fears’ Philomena with Judi Dench and Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin.
Witherspoon recently starred in Mud and will next be seen in Devil's Knot. Reeves will be seen in 47 Ronin, which is suppoed to be finally hitting theaters in December.