With indie king Sean Baker fresh off his historic Oscar sweep for Anora, the film world is buzzing over his next move. There have been reports of major studios fighting for a piece of the director’s future. And now, industry insiders have confirmed that Baker has scored a massive $22 million payday for his upcoming project, Ti Amo!, which is already set to break his streak of low-budget hits.
Warner Bros. Clockwork makes a splash with Ti Amo!
During this month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Warner Bros. finally pulled back the curtain on its brand-new specialty label, Clockwork.
To kick things off with a bang, the label announced it had snatched up the global rights to Baker’s next film. While the studio didn’t give away every detail, sources familiar with the deal shared a sizzling scoop on the numbers behind the scenes.
“Warner Bros. bought the distribution rights for $22 million,” insiders revealed. “Baked into that number is the film’s budget, which is being financed by FilmNation and is expected to be north of $10 million.”
While Baker hasn’t explicitly bragged about the check, the deal marks a massive shift for a man who famously shot Tangerine on an iPhone.
As for the plot of Ti Amo!, Baker is keeping things mostly under wraps, but he did shed light on the film’s inspiration. He described the project as a “love letter” to the raunchy Italian sex comedies that ruled the ’60s and ’70s.
Since Baker has already mastered the world of sex-worker dramedies with Anora, it makes sense for him to lean into this retro, provocative style.
The film is currently eyeing a 2027 release date. Since the deal was sold on the strength of a pitch alone, Baker is expected to write, direct, edit, and produce the whole thing himself.
But guess what? Right after the revelation, many film fans on X (formerly Twitter) were shocked to learn that the deal doesn’t even require a major A-list star.
Created and steered by the same team that brought Anora to life, including producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, the project is already being called a “gift to cinema” by studio heads.
Meanwhile, one user pointed out an interesting point about the director’s jump to the big leagues. “He’s been living like a college student for 40 years,” they wrote. “I imagine him getting that check and dying from happiness.”
With production set to begin this September, the guessing game on who will actually star in the movie may continue. Who do you think Baker will cast to lead his $22 million gamble?
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