Within hours of its world premiere at South by South West, Gareth Edward’s hotly anticipated first feature MONSTERS was sold to the Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing (genre arm of Magnolia Pictures) for North America and Mexico , against stiff competition from other distributors.

In a deal brokered by Magnolia SVP Tom Quinn and Protagonist Pictures CEO Ben Roberts, the Vertigo Films movie premiered at a packed midnight screening in the SX Fantastic section of the festival programmed by Fantastic Fest’s Tim League.

Produced by Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo Films (Bronson, StreetDance), the film was shot as a road movie, travelling through Guatemala, Mexico and the US, involving local people alongside its key cast Scoot McNairy (In Search of a Midnight Kiss) and Whitney Able (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane).

Six years ago previously, a NASA probe returning to earth with samples of an alien life form, crashed over Central America . Soon after, new life forms began to appear, and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain “the creatures”… The story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

The adventure thriller Hanna, directed by BAFTA Award winner Joe Wright, begins filming in Europe next week. Focus Features holds worldwide rights to the movie. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (of Focus’ Atonement, also directed by Mr. Wright), Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (soon to be seen in Robin Hood), and Eric Bana (Star Trek) star in Hanna. Joining the cast is Niels Arestrup, who last month won the César Award ( France ’s Academy Award equivalent) for Best Supporting Actor for A Prophet [Un Prophète].

Hanna (to be played by Ms. Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a solider ; these come from being raised by her father (Mr. Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Sweden . Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one ; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Seth Lochhead wrote the initial screenplay and has written subsequent drafts, as have David Farr, Joe Penhall, and Mr. Wright. Academy Award nominee Leslie Holleran (Chocolat) is producing Hanna with the team of Marty Adelstein and Scott Nemes (who are in post-production on The Experiment). Barbara A. Hall, who executive-produced Focus’ Academy Award-winning Milk, encores in that capacity on Hanna. Focus senior vice president, European production Teresa Moneo is supervising Hanna for president of production John Lyons. European locations for Hanna’s filming will include Finland , Bavaria , Morocco , and Berlin (the latter in part at Studio Babelsberg).

Alwin Küchler, who shot the upcoming Morning Glory, is the director of photography, and Lucie Bates (Go for Zucker!) is the costume designer. Mr. Wright is reunited on Hanna with several longtime collaborators, including film editor Paul Tothill (Focus’ Pride & Prejudice) and the thrice-Academy Award-nominated team of production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer.