Report: Heavy Rain movie rights sold
Former New Line bosses close to deal.
Deadline reports that Unique Features is the top bidder in an auction of the film rights for PS3 thriller Heavy Rain.
Unique Features is a relatively new production company formed by heavy hitters Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, former heads of New Line Productions and the men who said yes to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.
Shaye and Lynne apparently used their own money to bid for the rights to David Cage's serial killer mystery; they were so enthusiastic they did not want to wait for approval from a studio backer. The deal "should be sealed shortly," according to Deadline, which points out the similarities between Heavy Rain and the David Fincher film Seven, a New Line hit under the two men.
It was recently reported that New Line had a long-standing option on the million-selling Heavy Rain, but if true, it seems that has not been renewed.
Heavy Rain's storytelling ambition has certainly caught Hollywood's eye, with film director Neil LaBute singing its praises.