13/01/2012

Mid-way between the release on December 15 of Detlev Buck’s Woman in Love (over 400,000 admissions in one week and over 1m between December 15 and New Year’s Eve, putting it in 28th position in the 2011 rankings) and Oliver Ziegenbalg’s Russian Disco (to be released on February 23, 2012 by Paramount), actor Matthias Schweighöfer (pictured), who is in his early thirties, is preparing his second directorial feature.

As an actor, Schweighöfer was thrust into the spotlight with the role of Moritz in Til Schweiger’s box-office hits Rabbit Without Ears [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Rabbit Without Ears 2 [+see also:
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film profile]. He then starred in Friendship! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (12th place in the 2010 box-office rankings) and 3faltig before going on to direct What A Man, produced by his company Pantaleon Entertainment. Schweighöfer co-scripted the latter film in which he stars as a young man ditched by his girlfriend who tries to become "a real guy". Right from its launch by Fox on August 25, the film was crowned with success: with over 550,000 viewers in one week and almost 1.8m in total (i.e. around €13m in takings), the comedy claimed 16th place in the 2011 box-office rankings.

The young star is now preparing to shoot his second feature, Schlussmacher, which will be produced by Pantaleon and Twentieth Century Fox in co-production with Amalia Film and with backing from the FFA (€300,000), HessenInvestFilm and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (€400,000).

The plot of this comedy, scripted by Doron Wisotzky (who co-wrote What A Man), hinges around the profession of Henri (Schweighöfer), a relationship wrecker for a Berlin-based agency who is sent on a mission and travels all over the country with an unwitting partner. Shooting on Schlussmacher is expected to start between February and March, with the exact dates still to be confirmed.

(Translated from French)