Warner Bros.’ new specialty label Clockwork struck the most talked-about deal of the 2026 Cannes Film Market on Tuesday, entering exclusive negotiations to acquire North American rights to The Brigands of Rattlecreek — a revenge Western directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Matthew McConaughey, Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, and Tang Wei. The deal, reported to land in the mid-teen millions, signals an aggressive early chapter for a label that has yet to release its first film.
The film follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town. Park adapted the screenplay from a script by S. Craig Zahler — the writer-director behind the 2015 Western Bone Tomahawk — whose original draft landed on the prestigious Black List back in 2006. Amazon acquired rights to the material and was eyeing McConaughey to star as far back as 2019.
Park, who is also serving as jury president at this year’s Cannes festival, will produce through his Moho Film banner alongside Bradley Fischer, known for producing Zodiac. Back Jisun, Mike Medavoy, and Georgia Kacandes serve as executive producers. Patrick Wachsberger’s 193, a Legendary company, handles international sales.
The acquisition cements Clockwork as one to watch. Led by former Neon executive Christian Parkes, the label announced at CinemaCon that it would release Sean Baker’s Anora follow-up Ti Amo!, and is also handling the theatrical re-release of Ken Russell’s controversial 1971 film The Devils, which screened in Cannes Classics this week. Three major announcements, and not a single film in cinemas yet.
Tang Wei, who starred in Park’s most recent film No Other Choice — which received three Golden Globe nominations after its Venice premiere — reunites with the director on what he has described as a summation of the preoccupations that run through his entire body of work. The project’s own synopsis frames it as “an emotionally explosive and visually stunning meditation on the consequences of violence, the value of family, the power of memory, and the true cost of life.”
Production is set to begin early next year. WME Independent and CAA Media Finance brokered the deal with Clockwork on the sell side.
