EXCLUSIVE: Signature Entertainment has picked up UK and Irish rights to Bookworm, the latest film from Kiwi filmmaker Ant Timpson (Come to Daddy) starring Elijah Wood.

Described as an “adventure comedy”, the film is produced by Emma Slade (Come to Daddy), Roxi Bull (Uproar), and Victoria Dabbs (Malevolent) of Firefly Films New Zealand and Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), Laura Tunstall (Nine Days) of Nowhere. 

Timpson directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler). Starring alongside Wood are Michael Smiley (Free Fire), Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), Morgana O’Reilly (Housebound), and Nikki Si’ulepa (Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story). The film’s plot tells the story of a 12-year-old whose life is turned upside down when her estranged, washed-up American magician father comes to look after her.

The deal was negotiated between Signature Entertainment’s Chief Commercial Officer Elizabeth Williams and Mister Smith Entertainment CEO David Garrett. 

“Having proudly released Ant Timpson and Elijah Wood’s last brilliant collaboration Come to Daddy, we’re extremely pleased to work with our partners at Mister Smith to bring the charming Bookworm to UK and Irish audiences,” Williams said. 

David Garrett added: “We’re thrilled as ever to be working with our friends at Signature on Bookworm. Ant has created something epic, funny, and heart-warming that we are sure will delight families and fans alike.”

Wood, best known for his role as Frodo Baggins in the Lord Of The Rings franchise, was last seen on screen in 2023’s The Toxic Avenger by Macon Blair.