MGM has acquired the rights to remake “System Crasher,” Nora Fingscheidt’s 2019 German drama, and set Channing Tatum to star in and produce the English-language take on the story, an individual with knowledge of the project told on Friday.
“System Crasher” premiered to acclaim out of Berlin and swept the German Film Awards, and it starred Helena Zengel as a 9-year-old girl with a traumatic past who acts out and drives everyone around her to despair, leading her to be labeled a “system crasher” as she bounces around from child service home to the next because of her wild behavior. But she soon meets a caring, but tough anger management coach who helps her on the road to recovery.
Tatum will star in the film that will also now be set in the U.S. and focus on childhood trauma, and Fingscheidt, who most recently directed “The Unforgiveable” with Sandra Bullock, is also coming aboard as an executive producer on the remake.
No director is yet attached for the new “System Crasher,” but Garret Levitz will write the script.
Tatum will produce “System Crasher” through his Free Association banner along with Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan. Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are also producing for The Picture Company. The film’s executive producers are Peter Hartwig and Jonas and Jakob Weydemann, who also produced the original.
MGM’s Elishia Holmes will oversee for the studio. Michael Parets will oversee for Free Association.
“System Crasher” is the third film as part of MGM’s overall deal with Free Association, which also includes the film “Dog” starring and co-directed by Tatum that was just released in theaters Friday, as well as the upcoming “Pussy Island” that stars Tatum and is the directorial debut of Zoe Kravitz. Tatum will next appear in “The Lost City” with Sandra Bullock.
The rights were pursued by The Picture Company and Free Association, which together brought the package to MGM. The deal for the rights to the remake was negotiated by Casarotto Ramsay and Associates, Ilene Feldman Management and Agentur Homebase.
Deadline first reported the news.