Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’ Sells to Neon

Neon has acquired worldwide rights to Steven Soderbergh‘s “The Christophers” and plans to debut the film theatrically in 2026.

An exact release date has not been set. This marks the second collaboration between Soderbergh and Neon after “Presence,” a psychological thriller that debuted earlier this year. Soderbergh is also known for “Ocean’s 11,” “Contagion,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Traffic” and “Sex, Lies and Videotapes.”

His latest directorial effort, “The Christophers,” stars Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning and James Corden. McKellen plays aging artist Julian Sklar who hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years. His two estranged children (Corden and Gunning), desperate for his inheritance, hire an art forger (Coel) to complete a key project from his past.

“The Christophers” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews, with Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge describing the story as a “crackling original drama” and praising McKellen and Coel as “two top-notch English actors of wildly different backgrounds and styles at the top of their respective games.”

Neon will represent international sales of “The Christophers.” Department M produced and financed the film, which was written by Ed Solomon (“No Sudden Move”). The deal was negotiated by Alison Cohen on behalf of Neon with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.

Also out of TIFF, Neon nabbed U.S. rights to the music documentary “Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.” Over the next few months, the independent studio will release Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice.”