Ever since Parasite walked away with several Oscars, everyone’s been paying close attention to NEON. The production and distribution company, originally founded by Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim League and Tom Quinn had racked up nominations before. Just not quite in the way they did in 2020. Naturally, this means they’re every film they pick up will be highly anticipated. Which is why Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor is a hell of a film for them to snatch up.
Deadline has the story that NEON will be handling the US distribution for Possessor. As with past dealings, the home video side will be done through Well Go USA. The sci-fi thriller may only be Cronenberg’s (yes, son of director David Cronenberg) feature, after Antiviral, but it fits in with NEON’s previous offerings. Before the splash made with Parasite, NEON was a big purveyor of weird, thoughtful and artfully done cinema. Usually with a focus on outsider films, as well a foreign properties. They’d handled distribution for Ingrid Goes West, I, Tonya, Border, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Colossal. Just to name a few.
Possessor, which made it’s premiere earlier this year at Sundance, is a doozy on the page. The plot is set in the distant past of an alternate 2008. Using special brain implants, a secretive organization takes over the bodies of individuals, in order to preform assassinations for rich clients. With Cronenberg’s knack for violence and visuals, this sounds both terrifying and amazing. It also features a cast packed with Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton and Sean Bean. We’re not sure if the last one survives the film. History would suggest his chances are slim.
Given the current state of movie theaters across America, it’s hard to guess when Possessor ends up being released. Judging by the plot though, this could easily be dropped on a slow end of summer (think August) weekend and clean up nicely. What do you think? Does a film, such as this, sound like something you’d watch? What did Sean Bean do in a previous life, to have bad luck in movies (or TV shows)? At what point do we say Jennifer Jason Leigh has officially made a comeback? While you ponder these questions down in the comments, rest assured well let you know the moment we learn of an actual release date. Who knows, it could turn out this gets released digitally, in 2 weeks.
