Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to “Relay” from acclaimed director David Mackenzie (“Hell or High Water”) and written by Justin Piasecki, the company announced on Monday.
The high-concept contemporary whistleblower thriller starring Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington received rave reviews following its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Bleecker Street is planning a 2025 theatrical release. Black Bear fully financed “Relay” and produced alongside Thunder Road Pictures and Sigma Films.
Producers include Basil Iwanyk for Thunder Road, Gillian Berrie for Sigma, Teddy Schwarzman for Black Bear, and Mackenzie. Executive producers are Black Bear’s Michael Heimler and John Friedberg, and Thunder Road’s Erica Lee and Charlie Morrison.
In “Relay,” Riz Ahmed plays a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.
The film was shot on location in New York and New Jersey. “Relay” not only uses New York as a backdrop, but integrates the city into its narrative. “It’s a very contemporary film, and the sort of flavors of contemporary New York are something we were kind of tapping into,” McKenzie previously said at The Wrap’s 2024 TIFF Studio sponsored by Moët & Chandon and Boss Design.
The deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy with UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. Black Bear represents the international rights to the film.
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