Christian Bale’s ‘Hostiles’ Hits Cannes Market 

Adding to its Cannes slate, Bloom also announces it will sell ‘Tau,’ starring Maika Monroe and Ed Skrein

Having galvanized Berlin with George Clooney’s “Suburbicon,” Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s

Bloom will sell international rights to one of the biggest upcoming productions at this year’s Cannes: Christian Bale-starrer “Hostiles.”

Written and directed by Scott Cooper, and co-starring Rosamund Pike, “Hostiles” has just added Jesse Plemons and Wes Studi to the cast.

Kao’s Waypoint Entertainment will finance “Hostiles.” Kao produces with Cooper and John Lesher under his Le Grisbi Prods. banner. Production rolls July 18 with WME representing domestic rights.

Bloom has also announced that Maika Monroe and Ed Skrein are set to star in Federico d’Alessandro’s sci-fi thriller “Tau,” with Waypoint Entertainment financing and Phantom Four and Addictive Pictures producing. Bloom is introducing “Tau” to foreign buyers at Cannes.

Set in 1892 New Mexico, “Hostiles” centers on a legendary army captain (Bale) asked by the president to escort Yellow Hawk, a dying Cheyenne chief (Studi) back to his sacred tribal lands in Montana. After 20 years of violent enmity, this gesture of peace is unthinkable and harrowing. On the way, they rescue a young widow (Pike) whose family has been slaughtered.

“The material is bold, distinctive, powerful and extraordinarily contemporary, from a director of real note,” said Walton, “exactly the kind of film John Lesher put together at Paramount Vantage or made as an independent producer: ‘Babel,’ ‘No Country For Old Men’ and ‘Birdman.’ ”

“Hostiles” joins a Cannes slate that also features, among new productions, Martin Zandvliet’s post-WWII yakuza thriller “The Outsider,” starring Jared Leto.

Backed up by Waypoint Entertainment, owned by Kao, son of billionaire GPS pioneer Min Kao, Bloom can produce and fully finance projects.

“We do have the strength as a company that when we take a film to the market, it means that we are financing it,” Walton said.

Waypoint financing also allows for films whose scale and star power leave distributors convinced they will secure U.S. distribution.

Walton said U.S distribution conversations are “currently active” for “Hostiles.”

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