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The Friend, a grief drama from writer/directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel about a writer mourning her late pal while dealing with the Great Dane dog he left behind, and starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, has been picked up by Bleecker Street.
Having taken the North American rights to the pic, Bleecker plans an early 2025 theatrical release for the adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s novel. Watts plays Iris, a writer and teacher grieving over the sudden loss of her best friend, Walter (Bill Murray), only to learn he has left her Apollo, a giant dog who almost comes up to her waist.
As Iris unexpectedly bonds with the dog, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend and her own creative inner life. The ensemble cast for the film about life, death and friendship includes Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Noma Dumezweni and Ann Dowd.
The Friend world premiered at Telluride before it played at the Toronto and New York film festivals. McGehee, Siegel, Mike Spreter and Liza Chasin produced the film, while Margaret Chernin and Watts executive produced.
Bleecker Street earlier collaborated with Siegel and McGehee on the U.S. release of their 2021 neo-Western drama Montana Story, starring Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague.
“The Friend is a quintessential New York story, featuring incredible writing and emotional performances that honor the power of friendship, facing grief, and especially the singular comfort animals provide. As a New York-owned and operated company, we are the perfect home for this film and can’t wait to reteam with Scott and David to bring it to audiences next year,” Bleecker Street founder and CEO Andrew Karpen said in a statement.
The distribution deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Miranda King and Avy Eschenasy with CAA Media Finance representing the filmmakers.