THE FILM

Depression era New Zealand – a tortured colossus turned gangster returns from running hooch in Detroit to his small town home intent on revenge for the scars of a brutal childhood. Coercing the young son of his schoolyard nemesis into a partnership in crime, he embarks on a spree of seduction, murder, and mayhem that escalates out of control as old wounds get opened and old scores get settled.

The FAT MAN feature is based on a critically acclaimed and award winning novel by Maurice Gee. It is simultaneously a psychological thriller with Film Noir gangster elements. It also encompasses an outstanding role for an international male star.  As such, the film has strong potential to break out of its solid niche of ‘art-house’, and to cross over into mainstream cinema, garnering a wider movie audience both locally and internationally.

Given the nature of the material, the core audience both local and international is the educated, affluent and discerning professional audience.  Broken down further, there are two tiers of age ranges for the film: 25 to 35 and 35 to 50+, with a slightly female skew.  These segments are typically review and awards-driven. An important target audience specific to New Zealand are the young adults who have read the critically acclaimed and award winning young adult novel by distinguished New Zealand author and Maurice Gee and published in 1995.  It is a book often found on the reading list of New Zealand schools, and, combined with the intriguing subject matter of Prohibition/Depression era New Zealand, provides a strong local interest for the movie that could be leveraged in the domestic marketing campaign.

 

Logline: THE FAT MAN is a taut, psychological thriller offering a viscerally honest and sympathetic portrait of a menacing fat man intent on revenge for the scars of a brutal childhood inflicted by his schoolmates whose bleak adult lives he now invades. Blackmailing a local boy into a partnership in crime, he embarks on a spree of psychological manipulation, murder, and mayhem that escalates out of control as old wounds get opened and old scores get evened.

Production: Summit Entertainment has been involved in the production as a foreign sales representative.

Location: THE FAT MAN will be shot in New Zealand or North America.

Budget: The project is currently budgeted at $4.5 million (USD) subject to cast.