Exclusive Media has signed on to handle the international sale rights for director Brian Kirk’s upcoming film, ‘Passengers,’ starring Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon. The news was announced yesterday by producers Stephen Hamel and Ben Browning, as well as Exclusive’s President of International Sales and Distribution, Alex Walton.

Produced by Wayfare Entertainment and Company Films, ‘Passengers’ was developed by Hamel and Reeves at their production house, Company Films. Hamel will produce the film with Wayfare’s CEO, Browning.

‘Passengers’ is set to begin filming in January 2014, with Walton launching the international sales for the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. The project was acquired for the company by Tobin Armbrust, the President of Worldwide Production & Acquisitions.

Written by ‘Prometheus’ scribe Jon Spaihts, ‘Passengers’ follows a spacecraft transporting human cargo to a distant colony planet that malfunctions, causing one passenger, played by Reeves, to prematurely thaw from a cryogenic slumber nearly a century before anyone else. Faced with the prospect of growing old and dying alone, he decides to wake up a second passenger, marking the beginning of what becomes a unique love story.

“This is a very special film-Reese Witherspoon and Keanu Reeves are two of the most versatile and talented actors working today and together they will be electric. Brian Kirk is one of the most sought after directors of the moment, having helmed some of the signature television shows in recent history,” Browning said. Kirk has directed such shows award-winning HBO series as ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Luck.’ He also helmed the mini-series ‘Great Expectations,’ which received seven BAFTA and five Emmy nominations.

Written by: Karen Benardello