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Jonathan Bailey and Natalie Portman to Lead Cycling Thriller ‘Pumping Black’

Cannes market sales launch signals a fully financed push before the film seeks a distributor.

Overview

  • The project, announced Friday by multiple trade outlets, pairs Bailey as a 35-year-old pro cyclist with Portman as the doctor who mentors him.
  • Mimi Cave directs from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels, positioning the film in a director-driven psychological thriller lane.
  • Anton is fully financing the film and will launch international sales at the Cannes market, with CAA co-representing U.S. rights.
  • Production is slated to begin this fall, with producers Stacey Sher, Mimi Cave, Sébastien Raybaud, Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas attached.
  • Coverage likens the film to Black Swan and Whiplash and sets it in elite cycling on the road to the Tour de France, with distribution still to be set.