NEON, the award-winning studio known for bold, visionary cinema, has officially acquired worldwide rights to Steven Soderbergh’s latest film The Christophers following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Written by Ed Solomon and produced by Department M, the film features an all-star cast including Michaela Coel, Ian McKellen, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden. NEON plans a theatrical U.S. release in 2026 and will handle international sales.
Debuting in TIFF’s Official Selection lineup, The Christophers earned critical acclaim and an impressive 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The project continues Soderbergh’s creative resurgence with NEON after their earlier collaboration on the psychological thriller Presence, released earlier this year. It also marks the director’s fourth partnership with screenwriter Ed Solomon, following their work on Mosaic, Full Circle, and No Sudden Move.
Set in the art world, The Christophers centers on Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), a once-celebrated figure of London’s 1960s and ’70s pop art scene who hasn’t painted in decades. Broke and estranged from his two adult children (James Corden and Jessica Gunning), Julian becomes the target of a risky scheme. The siblings hire Lori (Michaela Coel), a former forger turned art restorer, to pose as his assistant and secretly finish eight of Julian’s unfinished works. Their plan: stash the completed pieces and “rediscover” them after Julian’s death for profit. What follows is a tense, stylish exploration of legacy, deception, and the blurry lines between art and authenticity hallmarks of Soderbergh’s storytelling.
The film was produced and financed by Mike Larocca and Michael Schaefer of Department M, alongside Jim Parks, Iain A. Canning, and executive producer Corey Bayes. The acquisition deal was brokered by Alison Cohen for NEON and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.
Fresh off the success of The Christophers, NEON is maintaining its festival momentum. The studio also picked up U.S. rights to Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert out of TIFF and enters awards season with five international contenders vying for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
With an expanding slate that includes Splitsville, Together, and Orwell: 2+2=5, NEON continues to cement its reputation as a powerhouse for daring, auteur-driven cinema that pushes artistic boundaries.
