Cannes ‘08: ‘Eden Lake’ North American rights sold to Weinstein Co.

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Harvey Weinstein took a dip into ‘Eden Lake’ at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.

The Weinstein Co. purchased all North American distribution rights to the UK-produced horror thriller which marks the directorial debut of screenwriter James Watkins (‘My Little Eye,’ and ‘Descent 2’).

Watkins’ film stars Michael Fassbender, a buzzed-about actor here at Cannes for his performance in another UK production; Steve McQueen’s ‘Hunger,’ which is playing in the festival’s Un Certain Regard selection. ‘Eden Lake’ also stars Kelly Reilly (‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’).

Watkins’ original thriller follows a couple weekending at a lakeside spot. Steve, hoping to propose to his nursery teacher girlfriend Jenny, brings them to an idyllic campsite setting, but the romance is shattered when a gang of malign kids targets the lovers.

‘One of the most exciting aspects about the Cannes film festival is the opportunity to discover new filmmakers like James Watkins,’ Harvey Weinstein said in a statement. ‘We are thrilled to add ‘Eden Lake’ to our slate and look forward to working with (Rollercoaster Films producers) Christian Colson and Richard Holmes to introduce audiences to James Watkins’ edgy and daring film.’

-- Sheigh Crabtree