Neon and Vice buy Harmony Korine’s ‘The Beach Bum’

Neon and Vice have pounced on Harmony Korine’s new movie The Beach Bum, securing rights to distribute it in the United States.

The film, sequel to Korine’s Spring Breakers, joins the many deals been struck at Cannes this week and stars Matthew McConaughey (Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, Dazed and Confused) in the lead as Moondog, “a rebellious and loveable rogue who lives life large”.

The Beach Bum has been dubbed a “refreshingly original, irreverent, and hilarious stoner comedy” – plot details are being kept under wraps for the moment.

International sales of the film will be boarded by Rock Science and are set to kick off at the European Film Market, taking place during the 2018 Berlin Film Festival in February.

The Beach Bum is produced by Le Grisbi Productions’ John Lesher, Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin, Iconoclast’s Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, and Nicolas Lhermitte. Neon co-founders Tom Quinn and Tim League will serve as executive producers, alongside Vice’s Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti and Danny Gabai.

Lesher has praised Korine’s vision for The Beach Bum, claiming it will be “the perfect movie for our dark and serious time”, going as far as to call it a film that “only he could create”.

It appears Neon’s been on a bit of a spending spree of late. Earlier this year they bought Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West, Eliza Hittman’s Beach Rats and hip-hop drama Roxanne Roxanne, from Michael Larnell at Sundance.

“We’ve been huge fans of the singularly talented Harmony Korine for a very long time now,” said a statement issued by Neon, with Vice adding that The Beach Bum will be a “wild, crazy and intoxicating piece of cinema”.

Shooting is expected to begin this fall, with The Beach Bum pegged for release in 2018.