What we thought would be one of the hottest sales titles at TIFF 2024 has finally sold and will get a prime theatrical release. Sony Pictures Classics will release “On Swift Horses,” the period war drama and romance from director Daniel Minahan, acquiring the film ahead of it closing out the SXSW Film & TV Festival next month.
“On Swift Horses” features a cast that’s as buzzy as it gets with Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Will Poulter, and is based on a novel by Shannon Pufahl with a screenplay by Bryce Kass. The film also stars Sasha Calle and Diego Calva.
The film follows Muriel and her husband Lee as they are beginning a bright new life in California upon Lee’s return from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible.
Following its premiere at TIFF, IndieWire praised the performances of Elordi and Edgar-Jones, and called it a romance that eschewed conventions.
“‘On Swift Horses’ is a stunning tableau of almost-romances, weaving together ephemeral moments of magic with the pain that inevitably follows when the universe takes them away,” Christian Zilko wrote.
The film is presented by Ley Line Entertainment, FirstGen Content, Cor Cordium, The Dan Corp, Wavelength, and Killer Films. It is executive produced by Nate Kamiya, David Darby, Claude Amadeo, Randal Sandler, Chris Triana, Jenifer Westphal, Joe Plummer, Christine Vachon, Mason Plotts, Alvaro R. Valente, Bryce Kass, Lauren Shelton, Jeffrey Penman, Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Teddy Schwarzman, and John Friedberg, and produced by Peter Spears, Daniel Minahan, Tim Headington, Mollye Asher, Theresa Steele Page, and Michael D’ Alto.
Sony Pictures Classics, while quiet so far at Sundance, has been active on the sales market. Just yesterday the label acquired director Haifaa Al Mansour’s “Unidentified,” the latest from the director of “Wadjda” and “The Perfect Candidate.” SPC also is riding high on its Oscar-nominee “I’m Still Here,” which is expanding theatrically in international markets starting today, February 7.
