Lionsgate has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Dragged Across Concrete, a police detective thriller starring Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate will release the film under its Summit Entertainment banner after negotiating a deal at the Cannes Film Festival in France this week.
The film reportedly stars Gibson and Vaughn as police detectives (Gibson an “old-timer” and Vaughn as his “volatile” partner) who are suspended from the force when video of their rough tactics is leaked to the media.
“Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due, but instead find far more than they wanted awaiting them in the shadows,” the film’s IMDb synopsis reads.
The film was written and will be directed by S. Craig Zahler and is expected to begin production in Canada on July 17.
Gibson and Vaughn are coming off a successful pairing on last year’s war drama Hacksaw Ridge, which won editing and sound Oscars, a Best Director nod for Gibson and a nomination for Best Picture. Lionsgate also distributed Hacksaw under its Summit Entertainment label last year.
“We are delighted to be working again with Mel Gibson who helmed our double Oscar winner Hacksaw Ridge along with Vince Vaughn and the great production team behind this film,” Lionsgate president of acquisitions and co-productions Jason Constantine said in a statement. “It’s a double treat to have screenwriter S. Craig Zahler also direct what will be an intense film for audiences.”
The project is reportedly looking for international buyers in Cannes this week.
Gibson’s acting slate is filling up quickly. The 61-year-old Oscar-winner will star next in The Professor and the Madman alongside Sean Penn, and is currently filming a role for the comedy sequel Daddy’s Home 2.
Vaughn previously worked with Zahler on the upcoming Brawl in Cell Block 99 and will also star in the upcoming wrestling comedy Fighting with My Family from director Stephen Merchant.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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