Ben Stiller, Nicholas Galitzine and Bella Maclean will team up for “A Matter of Time,” an upcoming feature about an unlikely angel sent from heaven to convince a reclusive man to give up his life for the greater good. Harry Bradbeer (“Enola Holmes”) will direct for producers Sony Pictures, Debra Hayward and Larry Mark. Justin Haythe, Madeleine George, Peter Byrne and Simon Beaufoy collaborated on the screenplay. Michael Dreyer executive produces.
The announcement was made during Netflix’s upfront presentation Wednesday, in which it also announced the production of “Grown Ups 3.”
Over the course of the story, the reclusive man agrees to the angel’s proposition, only for his impending death to trigger a new lease on life — and a romance that threatens to change the course of history, according to the logline. The project is produced under Sony Pictures’ partnership with Netflix, in which Netflix has a first look at any films Sony produces for streaming. In addition to the first two “Enola Holmes” movies, Bradbeer has directed for television series including “Fleabag,” for which he won an Emmy, “Killing Eve” and “Grantchester.” Galatzine recently starred in “The Sheep Detectives” and has “Masters of the Universe” coming up. He also starred in the popular Prime rom-com “The Idea of You.” Maclean is known for her role in the British series “Rivals” as well as a recurring role in Netflix’s “Sex Education.” Stiller has “Focker-in-Law” releasing later this year and recently appeared in “Happy Gilmore 2,” as well as directing several episodes of “Severance” and a documentary about his parents, “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost.”