Ben Kingsley’s sci-fi comedy ‘Jules’ hits Signature UK & Ireland (exclusive)

Signature Entertainment has acquired the UK and Irish rights to the sci-fi comedy from Protagonist Pictures Giuliowith Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley (Sexy beast).

The film is directed by Kingsley and also stars Harriet Samson Harris (Licorice Pizza), Jane Curtin (Can you ever forgive me?) and Zoe Winters (Succession).

The feature film was produced by Deborah Liebling (65) and Andy Daly (Revision), Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub (Cameron Post’s miseducation), and Academy Award nominee Marc Turtletaub (Little Miss Sunshine), who also directed the project from a screenplay written by Gavin Steckler (Revision).

The film focuses on Milton (Kingsley) who lives in a small town and is becoming increasingly forgetful and isolated with age. “When an extraterrestrial crash-lands in his backyard, destroying his beloved birdbath, the two form an unlikely bond,” according to one plot description.

Bleecker Street had previously acquired the North American rights to the film.

The deal for Britain and Ireland was negotiated between Signature and TV acquisitions director Elizabeth Williams and Protagonist sales chief Lina Marrone.

“Giulio is a fun and entertaining gem of a film that we look forward to releasing later this year,” said Williams. “We are delighted to be working once again with the Protagonist team on another high-quality independent film. and unmissable and we can’t wait to share Giulio with audiences across the UK and Ireland very soon.”

George Hamilton, chief commercial officer at Protagonist, added: “It is thrilling to be working with the exceptional team at Signature as they bring this heartwarming comedy to audiences in the UK and Ireland. Giulio it’s such a funny and comedic story with a stellar cast, led by the brilliant Sir Ben Kingsley.