LAYOVER is the story of Claire Newbold, a successful traveling saleswoman, who decides to go on the lam from her life. A master of reinvention, Claire's fierce, funny and falling apart. She develops elaborate scams for sneaking into hotel rooms, alone or with a guest, and a passion for swimming in their pools. A road movie of sorts, LAYOVER follows this inventive and atypical heroine who goes off the deep end, and has to find her way back to shore. Fortitude International is financing and handling international rights to the film and will present it to buyers in Cannes
Academy Award Winner Penelope Cruz (VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, VOLVER), is set to star in the drama LAYOVER from writer / director Toni Kalem (A SLIPPING DOWN LIFE, THE SOPRANOS), it was announced today by producers Animus Films’ Jim Young (LOVELACE, THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY) and Serena Films’ Tatiana Kelly (THE WORDS, LIFE OF A KING).
Penelope Cruz will also produce the film alongside Young and Kelly with Fortitude International’s Nadine de Barros (DRUNK PARENTS, VINCENT N ROXXY) and Robert Barnum (DRUNK PARENTS, ELVIS & NIXON) serving as executive producers. Fortitude International is financing the project, currently in pre-production.
LAYOVER is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by best-selling author Lisa Zeidner which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
LAYOVER is the story of Claire Newbold, a successful traveling saleswoman, who decides to go on the lam from her life. A master of reinvention, Claire's fierce, funny and falling apart. She develops elaborate scams for sneaking into hotel rooms, alone or with a guest, and a passion for swimming in their pools. A road movie of sorts, LAYOVER follows this inventive and atypical heroine who goes off the deep end, and has to find her way back to shore.
Fortitude International is handling foreign rights and will present the project to buyers in Cannes.
"Toni Kalem’s beautifully layered adaptation of Lisa Zeidner’s acclaimed book is a provocative blend of humor and heartbreak. With the addition of the incomparable Penelope Cruz to our team, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase such strong female talent both in front of and behind the camera,” said producer Tatiana Kelly.
“We are looking forward to working with the outstanding Penelope Cruz on this film both on screen and behind the scenes,” said de Barros. “Toni is the perfect match to direct this project and bring a strong woman’s perspective to this personal and enthralling story of escape and self-discovery.”
Toni Kalem has an extensive background as an actress in film, television, and theatre. She starred as Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO hit series THE SOPRANOS. Audiences also know her as the Bronx teen queen Despie in Philip Kaufman’s cult classic, THE WANDERERS and as the tough Private Gianelli in PRIVATE BENJAMIN. She optioned Anne Tyler’s novel A SLIPPING-DOWN LIFE and wrote the screenplay, her first, which she also directed. The film, which stars Guy Pearce, Lili Taylor and John Hawkes, was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for The Grand Jury Prize. It also screened at numerous festivals throughout the world where it received multiple awards and was distributed theatrically by Lions Gate Films. Ms. Kalem recently acquired the film rights to Ms. Tyler's bestselling novel, A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD, which was Shortlisted for The Mann Booker Prize. Ms. Kalem is repped by Erin Junkin at WME and Surpin & Mayersohn.
ABOUT FORTITUDE INTERNATIONAL
Fortitude International is a foreign sales, finance and production entity based in Los Angeles and founded by foreign sales veteran Nadine de Barros and producer Robert Ogden Barnum. With equity, bridge and senior debt capabilities at its disposal, the sales and financing venture can fully finance projects and is looking to produce strong, commercial and director driven material. Fortitude will be a haven for filmmakers and artists to make creatively and commercially successful films. In addition to feature films, the partners are also sourcing and financing TV series and minis, capitalizing on de Barros’ experience in the medium.
Fortitude has an enviable slate of titles; in post-production the comedy DRUNK PARENTS starring Alec Baldwin, Salma Hayek and Joe Manganiello, THE BRITS ARE COMING with Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Stephen Fry, Sofia Vergara, Parker Posey and Alice Eve; MARJORIE PRIME starring Jon Hamm, Lois Smith, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins, and VINCENT-N-ROXXY with Emile Hirsch and Zoe Kravitz an official selection of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Their comedy drama THE BACHELORS headlined by Academy Award Winner J.K Simmons and Julie Delpy is currently in post-production in Los Angeles as is THE TRIBES OF PALOS VERDES starring Jennifer Garner.
They are also in pre-production on the recently announced IDEAL HOME starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan, comedy THE CLAPPER with Ed Helms and Amanda Seyfried, TOM’S DAD with Will Ferrell set to star, and ANDRIOD, a sci-fi thriller starring Olga Kurylenko.
Other titles include the 2015 Sundance Film Festival selection THE END OF THE TOUR, directed by James Ponsoldt and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel, which was released through A24 Films following rave reviews and THE RUNNER with Nicolas Cage.