EXCLUSIVE: The English language adaptation of Momoone of the most popular fantasy books by the never ending Story Author Michael Ende spoke with Alexa Goodall (A gentleman in Moscow) takes on the main role of the young orphan girl Momo.
The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi (Top boy, Heart stopper), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, The Witcher), Claes Bang (The square), Laura Haddock (The recruit, Transformers: The Last Knight), Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Schutter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock).
Deadline can also share an exclusive first look at Goodall Momowhich is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia.
The film is produced by prolific German producer Christian Becker (The wave, Fuck you, Goethe) and written and directed by bilingual writer and director Christian Ditter (How to be single), who secured both the rights to the popular novel and an under-the-radar deal a few years ago. The international bestseller has been translated into more than 50 languages and sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
The story centers on Momo, a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everyone in the neighborhood. But when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everyone’s time, no one has time for them anymore, let alone their friends or families. Momo, along with Master Hora, the Guardian of Time, is the only one who can stand against the Time Thieves before everything is lost forever.
Momo is a Rat Pack film production in co-production with Constantin Film Production and Westside Filmproduktion in collaboration with Michael Ende Productions and Pakt Media.
Constantin will distribute Momo in German-speaking countries. Rocket Science is handling international distribution rights for the rest of the world and will introduce the film to buyers ahead of the Cannes Film Festival next week.
Becker is producing the title, while Amara Palacios is the creative producer. Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben are executive producers, while Roman Hock and Wolf-Dieter von Gronau are co-executive producers. Ditter writes and directs the project based on the novel. Momo was funded by FFF Bavarian Film Fund, MBB Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFA Federal Film Funding, DFFF German Film Funding, HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Center).
Ditter and Becker previously worked together on popular German film franchises such as: Crocodiles And Vicky the Viking (Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods). Becker is one of Germany’s most successful producers, including for Dennis Gansel’s thriller from 2008 The wavethe Jim Knopf franchise, Vicky the Viking And Suck me Shakespeare (also known as Fuck you, Goethe) and Netflix thrillers Blood red sky. His company Rat Pack is a subsidiary of the German giant Constantin.
Ditter is known for German and English-language films and series, including Netflix BiohackerLily Collins leading lady Love, Rosie, New Line’s romantic comedy How to be single with Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann and Alison Brie as well as Isla Fischer and Greg Kinnear as a comedy The gift.