EXCLUSIVE: Domestic rights for the George Gallo directed Robert De Niro comedy The Comeback Trail have been scooped up by Cloudburst Entertainment for a Nov. 13 wide release. Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones star.
The second teaming between De Niro and Gallo since the 1988 action comedy Midnight Run, which the latter wrote, follows Max Barber (De Niro) and his partner Walter (Zach Braff) who play down-and-out B-Movie producers who find themselves in trouble with mob boss Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman). To save himself and Walter, Barber has to sell the only great script he’s ever had to his former intern and, now, A-Movie producer, James Moore (Emile Hirsch). On the first day of shooting Moore’s lead actor dies in a stunt accident and lets him cash in on a huge insurance policy. That gives Barber an idea to do the same. They take a horrible script called The Oldest Gun In The West and hire a washed-up cowboy actor, Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) to play the lead. Known for doing his own stunts during his prime, Montana is poised for an early demise allowing Barber to get away with his get-rich-quick scam. Only one problem…nobody told Montana. Eddie Griffin also stars the Gallo
“The Comeback Trail is the perfect film for the holidays. It will get America laughing right when it needs it the most. We are honored to be working with the StoryBoard Media team lead by Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard and Philip Kim, as well as producers Patrick Hibler, Julie Lott Gallo and Richard Salvatore and the amazing cast and crew.” said Steve Fedyski, CEO of Scottsdale, AZ-based Cloudburst Entertainment. David Ornston, Patrick Muldoon and Joy Hurwitz also produced The Comeback Trail. Gallo co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Posner. The Comeback Trail was sold last year at Cannes.
“We are pleased to be in business with Cloudburst and their impressive new venture. With their extensive experience in all facets of film marketing and distribution, we are excited at the aligned vision to help make this four-quadrant comedy a success!” said Storyboard’s Costa de Beauregard.
The deal was negotiated by Cloudburst COO Ken Rather and Dave Macaione on behalf of the distributor with Costa de Beauregard and Executive Producer/attorney Harris Tulchin for StoryBoard Media, which co-represented the domestic distribution rights with CAA Media Finance.
Gallo wrote the story for Bad Boys and as a director he’s helmed 29th Street, Middle Men, Columbus Circle, Bigger, and the John Travolta-Morgan Freeman thriller The Poison Rose.