Music publishing rights specialist Cutting Edge Group and investment arm Conduct have invested in Cinelou Films’ “The Comedian,” starring Robert De Niro and Leslie Mann, Variety has learned exclusively.
Cutting Edge also invested in two other Cinelou titles — “Yellow Birds” staring Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Jack Huston, Jennifer Aniston, Toni Collette and Jason Patric; and “Burn Your Maps,” starring Jacob Tremblay and Vera Farmiga.
Cinelou was formed by producers Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon in 2014 as a production-distribution company. Its first title was Jennifer Aniston’s “Cake.”
“These are really high quality award-winning projects that Cinelou has put together,” said Cutting Edge CEO Philip Moross. “Courtney and Mark are premiere producers and we are delighted to be in business with them”.
Warner Bros. has picked up the three titles for the majority of international territories.
Cutting Edge Group recently renewed its slate deal with Basil Iwanyk’s Thunder Road Pictures, closed a 12-picture deal with Brian Oliver’s Cross Creek Pictures and a five-picture deal with QED. The company continues to invest on slate development deals and about 30 single pictures a year against the use of music rights.
The deal was brokered by Conduct’s James Gibb, and Cinelou’s Scott Karol and Ian Brereton.
Seven-year-old CEG has invested in “Everest,” “Whiplash,” “Fury,” “John Wick,” “The King’s Speech,” “Drive,” “Looper” and “End of Watch” in exchange for music publishing rights. It handles scoring, clearances and music supervision in films, then recoups from soundtrack and sheet-music sales; licensing and royalties from international ticket sales and TV deals; and rights in TV commercials.
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