Republic Pictures Acquires Munich Massacre Drama ‘September 5,’ Starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch (EXCLUSIVE)

Paramount’s Republic Pictures has acquired global sales rights – apart from Germany, Switzerland and Austria – to Tim Fehlbaum‘s “September 5,” which stars Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin and Leonie Benesch, who broke out last year with the Oscar nominated “The Teachers’ Lounge.”

The film, which has Sean Penn as one of its producers, will open Venice Film Festival’s Horizons Extra competition section on Aug. 29. Sarsgaard won best actor at Venice last year for “Memory.”

“September 5” is set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, and follows an American sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage.

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Through this lens, “September 5” provides a new perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time. The film “unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today,” according to a statement.

At the heart of the story is Geoff, a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge. Together with Marianne, a German interpreter, Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage.

As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass. How do you cover a situation like this if what the perpetrators want is the spotlight you give?

The writers are Moritz Binder and Fehlbaum. The producers are Philipp Trauer, Thomas Wöbke, Fehlbaum, Penn, John Ira Palmer and John Wildermuth.

“September 5” is produced by BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion and Penn’s Projected Picture Works, in co-production with Constantin Film and ERF Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion.

The film was shot on a sound stage and original locations in Munich last year.