UPDATE: Netflix officially announced Tuesday that it had acquired the rights to Cary Fukunaga's directorial effort "Beasts of No Nation," which the streaming service said would "debut later this year in select theaters in the U.S. and worldwide on Netflix." Both the theatrical and streaming releases will occur on the same day.

An earlier report from Deadline (see story below) said that Fukunaga's film, which he also wrote, was set to reach a lucrative deal with Netflix, though the news was not official until Netflix put out a press release Tuesday afternoon. Per the release:

'Beasts of No Nation' is based on the highly acclaimed novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, bringing to life the gripping tale of Agu, a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. Newcomer Abraham Attah gives a stunning portrayal of Agu, while Elba dominates the screen in the role of Commandant, a warlord who takes in Agu and instructs him in the ways of war.

"'Beasts of No Nation' is a powerful film that unfolds beautifully in the hands of director Cary Fukunaga with Idris Elba delivering a career-defining performance," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer, in a statement. "We are so proud to bring a film of this caliber exclusively to Netflix members around the world at the same time as it appears in select theaters."

Our original report is below.

EARLIER:

"True Detective" helmer Cary Fukunaga has been busy in recent months, prepping to bring Stephen King's horror classic "It" to the big screen. Now, his latest directorial effort may be getting a high-profile deal from Netflix.

According to Deadline, Fukunaga is close to signing a contract with the streaming service that would net him some $12 million in exchange for global distribution rights to "Beasts of No Nation." The flick, based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala, tells the story of a child soldier fighting a civil war in an African nation and stars Idris Elba as a warlord who takes the boy in.

But while Netflix is eager to nab the rights to the flick, its ambitions don't stop at streaming. Deadline reports that "Beasts" "will have a theatrical component as well and a vigorous push in Oscar season."

Fukunaga and Elba also produced the film. No word yet on when it may get a release.

[via: Deadline]

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