EXCLUSIVE: Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler are set to star in crime thriller In the Hand of Dante, with Oscar nominee Julian Schnabel directing and Martin Scorsese among the executive producers. The film is in production in Italy and recently landed an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA allowing it to film during the actors strike.
Based on the novel by Nick Tosches, it follows the story of the original manuscript for The Divine Comedy emerging in the clutches of a black-market smuggling ring in the dangerous underbelly of New York City, and weary scholar Nick is called by the mob to authenticate it.
Overwhelmed by temptation, Nick defies the mafia and steals the manuscript in a frenzied bid to have it all. He follows a dark and violent path from a metaphorical Hell into Paradise with his love Giulietta, while a parallel tale unfolds: the odyssey of Dante himself, a man who is trapped in a loveless marriage with Gemma and bolstered only by his mentorship under an austere intellectual. He escapes to Sicily and creates his greatest work, immortalizing his lost love, Beatrice.
Nick and Dante’s timelines weave separate paths, and yet the two men are inextricably linked — both lose themselves chasing love, beauty and the very promise of the divine.
Producers include Jon Kilik, Francesco Melzi d’eril for MeMo Films and Olmo Schnabel for TWIN Productions.
Scorsese will executive produce alongside DreamCrew, Screen Capital/Screen One and Tribune Pictures, with Isaac (through his production company Mad Gene Media) and Schnabel also executive producing.
WME Independent and CAA Media Finance are handling domestic sales and WME Independent is handling international sales.
Schnabel is repped by CAA. Isaac is represented by WME, The Lede Company and attorney Mitch Smelkinson; Momoa is with WME; repped by CAA and Alan Siegel Entertainment; and Scorsese is with WME, LBI Entertainment and 42West. Frank PR will handle film’s publicity.