Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert, and Elsa Zylberstein have joined Paul Weitz’s “Bel Canto.”
Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s sales and production shingle, Bloom, introduced the pic at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, and will continue sales at Berlin’s European Film Market. WME Global is handling U.S. rights.
Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe topline the adaptation of Ann Patchett’s bestseller in which a soprano (Moore) travels to perform at the concert of a Japanese business man (Watanabe) in South America. When the home is overtaken by guerrillas, demanding the release of their jailed comrades, a standoff begins that brings hostages and captors together.
International opera star Renee Fleming has also joined and will contribute vocals to the drama.
Principal photography begins in New York on Feb. 13.
Weitz adapted the screenplay with Anthony Weintraub; Weitz is producing with Andrew Miano through their Depth of Field banner along with Caroline Baron and Weintraub’s A-Line Pictures. Lizzie Friedman, Karen Lauder and Greg Little are producing and financing through their company Priority Pictures.
Other Bloom titles at EFM include “Dragged Across the Concrete,” with Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn; Woody Harrelson’s “Lost in London”; and Josh Trank’s “Fonzo,” starring Tom Hardy.