Mr Smith Goes to Berlin With Fisher Stevens’ ‘Palmer,’ Starring Justin Timberlake

Jamie Lang

18 February 2020 at 10:12 am·2-min read

U.K. sales agency Mr Smith Entertainment will bring “Palmer” onto the market at this year’s Berlinale. Starring Justin Timberlake and directed by Academy Award winning director Fisher Stevens (Best Documentary Feature – “The Cove” with Louis Psihoyos; “Before the Flood”), the dramatic feature has been buzzing since shooting was announced last fall.

Written by Cheryl Guerriero, the feature follows Eddie Palmer, a former college football player just out from a stint in prison. Back in his hometown and hoping to stay on the straight and narrow, he must face residual conflicts from his past while raising a young boy abandoned by his mother.

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Academy Award-winning producer Charles B. Wessler (“Green Book”) will produce alongside SK Global’s John Penotti (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Charlie Corwin (“The Squid and the Whale”), with Sidney Kimmel (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Daniel Nadler (“Motherless Brooklyn”). SK Global and Nadler are co-financing the film.

Timberlake, whose onscreen credits include “The Social Network,” “Wonder Wheel” and “Inside Llewyn Davis,” is joined by Academy Award-nominee June Squibb (Best Actress – “Nebraska”), Juno Temple (“Atonement,” “Maleficent”), Aisha Wainwright (“Lethal Weapon”) and newcomer Ryder Allen.

“’Palmer’ is a very zeitgeisty story which is both commercial and utterly heart-warming,” Mr Smith’s David Garrett told Variety.

Penotti and Corwin said in a statement before shooting: “Justin and Fisher bring a resonant perspective to this emotional story. It is both timely and ultimately a hopeful, entertaining story about the resilience and power of human kindness.”

Timberlake is repped by WME and LBI Entertainment, Stevens by CAA and Guerriero is managed by Heroes and Villains Entertainment.

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