Hunter Schafer and Tim Roth are set to star in Fish, a genre-defying drama directed by Italian filmmaker Carlo Hintermann. The film, set in a dreamlike version of Venice, will explore surreal themes and is scheduled to go into production in early 2026.
Minerva Pictures and TVCO will launch international pre-sales for the film at the upcoming Cannes Marché du Film. The English-language project promises to offer a unique cinematic experience, blending fantasy and reality.
Roth, known for his role in the highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, will play Professor Fish Osborne, a brilliant yet reclusive art historian undergoing a mysterious transformation: he is gradually becoming a fish. As the professor’s secret begins to unravel, his students—including Billie, played by Schafer—start to question their own identities. The film’s synopsis suggests that this mutation is not a curse but a form of radical liberation.
Schafer, who stars in the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series for Amazon Prime Video, recently earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her lead role in Cuckoo, a horror-thriller directed by Tilman Singer. She will also appear in the A24 film Mother Mary, alongside Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.
Fish is being produced by Indiana Production (known for Netflix’s The Leopard) and Hintermann’s Citrullo International. The screenplay, written by Hintermann and Marco Saura, was developed in collaboration with Tania Pedroni (Hidden Away). The film is an international co-production involving Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Amour Fou Luxembourg, and has received support from the Italian culture ministry, the Veneto Film Commission, and Media Creative Europe.
Hintermann’s previous work includes Book of Vision, which was executive produced by Terrence Malick and featured Game of Thrones star Charles Dance. The film premiered at the Venice Critics’ Week in 2020.
Minerva Pictures, which boasts a catalogue of over 1,000 titles, will handle the international sales of Fish, in partnership with TVCO, a company specializing in art house films. The project will be a flagship title for Minerva at Cannes.
Roth is represented by CAA, Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer, and Markham, Froggatt & Irwin. Schafer is represented by CAA, Untitled, and Sloane Offer.
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