Justin Kurzel has officially lined up his next film based on a deadly real-life incident and cast two of the hottest stars of the moment to lead the project.
Sebastian Stan and Leo Woodall are set to star in Kurzel’s “Burning Rainbow Farm,” about a deadly Waco-like police siege that took place in 2001. Rocket Science will be launching the film in Cannes. CAA Media Finance is handling North American distribution rights.
“Burning Rainbow Farm” is set to tell the story of Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm, two gay cannabis activists who met in the early 1990s and set up the peaceful, pot-friendly utopia Rainbow Farm in Michigan, a site that was once listed by High Times magazine as “fourteenth on the list of twenty-five Top Stoner Travel Spots in the world.” But the pair ran afoul of local authorities and, when their young son was taken from them, a police standoff ensued that would lead to one of the largest and most dramatic sieges America has ever seen.
The screenplay was written by Tommy Murphy (“Holding the Man,” “Significant Others”) based on Dean Kuipers’ 2006 book “Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke.”
“’Burning Rainbow’ is a love story about two outliers who raise their middle finger to hate and declare ‘This is who we are, and we dare you to take it from us’,” said Kurzel. “I’m excited to create this loveable and courageous couple with Sebastian and Leo, their union will be one to remember.”
The film is being produced by Nicole O’Donohue, Kurzel, and Alexandra Taussig for Thirdborn, with Adam Shulman of Anonymous Content, Alix Madigan of Mad Dog Films, and Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel of Votiv.
Kurzel, who last year presented “The Order” in Venice, revealed in November that “Burning Rainbow Farm” would likely be his next film, taking over from Lenny Abrahamson who had written an early adaptation. Stan had already been linked with the film, with World of Reel reporting that it was he who brought it to Kurzel.
Stan is represented by CAA, Brookside Artist Management, and Sloane Offer. Woodall is represented by WME, Hamilton Hodell, Anonymous Content and Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher. Kurzel is represented by HLA Management and Sloane Offer. Murphy is represented by Cameron’s Management and Range Media.
