Jeremy Renner & Josh Brolin Set For Orlando von Einsiedel’s ‘A Speck In The Sea’; 193 Launching Sales At AFM

EXCLUSIVE: Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner and Oscar nominee Josh Brolin are headlining the survival thriller A Speck in the Sea which Oscar winner Orlando von Einsiedel (short documentary White Helmets) is directing.

193, a Legendary company, is repping international sales on the title at AFM.

Oscar nominee Jeff Pope (Philomena) penned the screenplay which tells the incredible true story of Johnny Aldridge (Brolin), a Montauk lobster fisherman, who in 2013 fell off his fishing boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the dead of night, with Anthony Sosinski (Renner), his best friend and fishing partner, asleep below deck. When Anthony awakens to discover Johnny missing, he instigates a multi-state rescue operation…but all the while, Johnny must fight to stay alive in the middle of the ocean using every survivalist trick he can think of.

The film is being produced by Emmy nominee Mark Bauch for One Day’s Walk and two-time BAFTA nominee Jonathan Eirich for Rideback. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are co-repping the film’s North American rights.

“A Speck in the Sea brings together an exceptional cast and creative team to tell a wild true story of survival, friendship, and the human will to endure,” said 193 CEO Patrick Wachsberger. “The film has all the elements of a gripping, moving cinematic experience, and we look forward to making it available at the upcoming AFM.”

“From the moment I first read Jeff Pope’s thrilling and heartfelt script, I knew Orlando was the perfect filmmaker to bring Johnny and Anthony’s extraordinary story to life,” said Mark Bauch, President, One Day’s Walk. “Having spent time on the water and shared a lot of laughs (and lobster!) with Johnny and Anthony, our connection to their story has only deepened and we’re so grateful for the trust they’ve placed in us. Josh and Jeremy bring the grit, humanity and humor these roles demand, and we couldn’t ask for better partners than Jonathan Eirich at Rideback and Patrick, Ashley and the entire team at 193.”

“John and Anthony’s story is one of the most remarkable true accounts of survival and perseverance we’ve ever encountered, and with Orlando, Jeff, Josh, and Jeremy on board, we have the ideal team to bring it to the screen,” said Rideback co-CEO Jonathan Eirich. “We’re thrilled to partner with our longtime colleague Mark Bauch as well as Patrick and the 193 team to share this unforgettable story with audiences around the world.”

Brolin earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Milk. His other notable credits include No Country for Old Men, American Gangster, Inherent Vice, Sicario and its sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Dune, Dune: Part Two, Weapons, Wake Up Dead Man, and Whalefall. He is also set to return for the upcoming third Sicario film.

Renner earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for his performance in The Hurt Locker and Best Supporting Actor for The Town. His other notable film credits include Arrival, Wind River, American Hustle, The Bourne Legacy, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Wake Up Dead Man. He is also widely recognized for his portrayal of Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Endgame. He currently leads the hit Taylor Sheridan series Mayor of Kingstown.

Von Einsiedel won an Academy Award for directing the short documentary The White Helmets, and he was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature for Virunga. His additional credits include the acclaimed The Cycle of Love, Evelyn, and the Netflix global smash hit The Lost Children.

Pope was nominated for an Academy Award for adapting Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. He has been nominated for 13 BAFTA Awards, winning for Philomena and See No Evil: The Moors Murders. Other films written by Pope include Stan & Ollie, The Lost King, Dirty Filthy Love, The Penguin Lessons, and Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman. He has also written numerous acclaimed television series, including A Confession, Little Boy Blue, Mrs. Biggs, Cilla, The Walk-In, and Hatton Garden.

Patrick Wachsberger’s 193 has secured international sales for such feature projects this year as Park Chan-wook’s The Brigands of Rattlecreek, Academy Award nominee Fernando Meirelles’ Art (adapted from the Tony-winning play), BAFTA winner László Nemes’ French-language Moulin, starring César Award nominees Louise Bourgoin, Gilles Lellouche, and Félix Lefebvre, which was No. 1 at the box office in France this past weekend; and Roshan Sethi’s upcoming The Surgeon, starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Emmy winner Martin Freeman.

Brolin is represented by CAA and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Renner by CAA and Felker McGinnis & Ryan; von Einsiedel by WME and The Nord Group; Pope by WME.