Focus Features Takes International Rights to Cannes Title ‘The Lighthouse’

By Robert Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Focus Features has taken international rights to Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse,” ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Universal Pictures International will distribute the film internationally. The film, which stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, will debut at the festival in Director’s Fortnight on May 19.

Eggers highly-anticipated sophomore feature following his 2015 breakout “The Witch,” “” is described as an hypnotic and hallucinatory story of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. It is co-written by Eggers with his brother Max Eggers.

“The Lighthouse” is produced by Jay Van Hoy for Parts & Labor, Rodrigo Teixeira and Lourenço Sant’ Anna for RT Features, and Youree Henley. A24 and New Regency co-financed the production.

, which co-financed the film with New Regency, will distribute the film in North America. Focus and A24 also collaborated on Eggers’ “The Witch.”