A stolen Christmas Eve gift launches an unassuming cabbie into a relentless night of vengeance as Netflix wins the competitive bidding war for the action-thriller Fairytale in New York, starring Aaron Pierre and directed by Jalmari Helander.
Lionsgate sold the feature from the Sisu director after developing the original spec script written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, who previously penned John Rambo. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Erin Westerman pointed to the studio’s ongoing creative partnership with the streaming platform following their previous collaboration on War Machine.
“Coming off the extraordinary success of War Machine, we couldn’t be more excited to be making another film with our friends at Netflix.”
said Westerman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Westerman highlighted the synergy between the director and the lead actor as the primary driver for the project. Helander brings a distinct ability to deliver visceral action while maintaining character depth and emotion.
“That makes him a perfect match for Aaron Pierre, who has all the makings of a major movie star — commanding screen presence, undeniable charisma and the ability to bring real depth and emotion to his performances. We think this is going to be a very special film.”
Westerman told The Hollywood Reporter.
Pierre recently starred as John Stewart in the HBO and DC Studios live-action series Lanterns. His credits also include Rachel Morrison’s Love of Your Life and a voice role in Sony Pictures Animation’s sports comedy Goat, alongside a breakout performance in Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix movie Rebel Ridge.
Beau Flynn will produce the feature for FlynnPictureCo alongside Kevin King Templeton for Templeton Media. Scott Sheldon, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani serve as executive producers, while James Myers and Pavan Kalidindi oversee production for Lionsgate. Pierre is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, Entertainment 360, B-Side Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
