Tom Hanks’ ‘A Man Called Otto’ bought by Sony for record-breaking amount

Sony has acquired the worldwide rights to Tom Hanks’ latest comedy A Man Called Otto for a record-breaking sum of $60 million, confirmed Deadline.

According to the outlet, the deal marks the most-expensive sale at the virtual European Film Market, surpassing Netflix’s acquisition of The Pale Blue Eye for $55 million last year.

Sony now owns the worldwide rights to the Marc Forster directorial, which will be released in theatres.

Expressing joy at the acquisition, Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, shared, “What an amazing all-star constellation of talent: Tom Hanks in an iconic role and an exceptional director in Mark Forster.”

“Outstanding producers in Rita Wilson, Gary Goetzman and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro; exquisite screenplay from David McGee; a worldwide best-selling book; and our long-time partner, SF Studios,” he added, saying that Sony had hit a ‘lottery’.

Production on A Man Called Otto scheduled to begin this month in Pittsburgh, with the finalised cast including Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.