SAUNA Helmer AJ Annila Makes His English Debut With EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE

We have been fans and supporters of Finnish helmer AJ Annila (Jade Warrior, Sauna) in these pages for a great many years now and it would appear that the long wait for his (surprisingly difficult) third film may now be over. After a couple of false starts with other projects Annila will soon be moving into production on a new, English language thriller titled Every Good Boy Does Fine with stars Famke Janssen and Michael Nyqvist. Here's the full announcement:

Los Angeles, CA (May 5, 2015) - Michael Nyqvist (JOHN WICK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL) and Famke Janssen (X-MEN franchise, TAKEN trilogy) are set to star in the new Hitchcockian thriller EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, it was announced today by producers Jana Edelbaum and Rachel Cohen (THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE, DIRTY GIRL) of iDeal Partners Film Fund, and Margo Klewans.  Steve Buscemi and Wren Arthur of Olive Productions are Executive Producing.
 
EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE will be directed by emerging Finnish filmmaker AJ Annila (JADE WARRIOR, SAUNA) who makes his English language feature film debut on the project.  13 Films' Tannaz Anisi is executive producing the thriller and representing international rights.  Slated to start shooting in July this year, Anisi will introduce the film to buyers at the Cannes Film Market.
 
Producers currently hold US rights.
 
Written by Jonathan Dees, EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE is a taught thriller about a young boy Brian, verging on adolescence, a little angry, and quite possibly a piano prodigy.  But he hates practicing and playing, that is, until he meets music professor, Mr. Anderson.  Elegant, sophisticated, brilliant, Mr. Anderson fixates on Brian and recognizes the untapped potential in the boy.  He becomes Brian's mentor and the father figure he needs.  If only Brian didn't increasingly suspect that Mr. Anderson is the serial killer that has been targeting musicians.  A classic cat-and-mouse story, EVERY GOOD DOES FINE is about artistic perfection, unrealized dreams, and the terror that can sometimes come with finding one's voice.
 
"We've been working hard on this project for several years and are thrilled that it has attracted such a talented group of artists to bring it to life," said Jana Edelbaum.
 
"EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE is an original, sophisticated script full of suspense which is the perfect fit for helmer AJ Annila who has a unique visual style and loves to experiment with different genres. The producers have assembled a talented cast with Michael Nyqvist and Famke Janssen who both have appeared in successful studio franchises and bring commercial appeal to the project," said Anisi.
Michael Nyqvist is most recognized internationally for his role as Mikael Blomkvist in the original Swedish THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO trilogy with Noomi Rapace. He was last seen by audiences in Lionsgate's critically acclaimed film JOHN WICK co-starring Keanu Reeves and Paramount's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL opposite Tom Cruise.  Mr. Nyqvist is repped in Sweden by Agentfirman Planthaber/Kilden/Mandicand and in the US by Authentic Talent.
 
Famke Janssen has successfully balanced her career between studio blockbusters such as the X-MEN and TAKEN trilogies, and independents with notable directors, including Woody Allen and R‎obert Altman. She can currently be seen on Netflix's horror thriller series HEMLOCK GROVES, executive produced by Eli Roth and is repped by ICM Partners and Brookside Artists Management.
 
Finnish director AJ Annila made his feature film debut with the action Kung Fu film JADE WARRIOR starring RUSH HOUR 3's Jing Chu Zhang which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and had a US release via Lionsgate.  His sophomore feature, horror film SAUNA, screened in multiple film festivals worldwide including Toronto and the Sitges International Film Festival and was released by IFC Films domestically.   He is repped by ICM Partners and Echo Lake Management.
 
The US producers are partnering with Frederik Zander of the Swedish post production house, The Chimney Group and with Jesse Fryckman of Solar Films in Finland.