James R | On 24, May 2017

Netflix is hunting Bigfoot at Cannes this week, with the streaming service close to nabbing the rights to Michael Shannon’s latest film.

If the words “Michael Shannon” and “Bigfoot” had your curiosity, the film’s full description is sure to grab your attention. The movie stars the Take Shelter and Midnight Special actor as a local businessman who is “mistaken for the mythical creature Bigfoot after a wild night of drinking, tossing on a gorilla costume and staggering through the woods makes him an internet sensation”.

That incident, which we’re already re-reading as it sounds too perfect,’sparks international media attention and reinvigorates the small town of Pottersville, leaving Shannon’s businessman grappling with having to reveal the truth.

The indie comedy-drama, named after its hometown, is written by Daniel Meyer and marks the directorial debut of Seth Henrikson. Shannon, who has just come off the back of an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, could presumably have his pick of the project, so it’s a reassuring indicator of both his own taste and the script’s quality that he should opt for a movie in which he gets to be drunk and wear a gorilla costume. He’s joined by an equally impressive supporting cast, which includes Christina Hendricks, Ian McShane, Ron Perlman and Tom Lennon.

Shannon and Perlman are producing the movie through their own labels – Plot 4 and Wing and a Prayer – and the resulting package has seen it become a hot ticket for Netflix, with The Wrap reporting that talks between the streaming giant and sales agents Gersh and UTA Independent Film Group continued throughout the weekend, with a source saying the deal is on track to close this week. It follows Netflix’s purchase of an equally intriguing title – a Lupita Nyong’o and Rihanna heist movie, inspired by a viral meme from two years ago – which proves that, with Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories both premiering at the weekend, Netflix’s tastes are nothing if not varied and that Netflix is as active off the red carpet as it is on.

Add to Watchlist