Netflix's In Waves and Park Chan-wook's The Brigands of Rattlecreek Close Cannes with Impact
TL;DR: Netflix secured worldwide rights (excluding France) to the animated film In Waves, while Warner Bros.' new label Clockworks is in exclusive talks for Park Chan-wook's Western, The Brigands of Rattlecreek. Both deals highlight a pivotal moment in a Cannes market that needed a boost.
The Cannes Film Market wrapped up with a burst of activity, but let's not pretend this was some triumphant finale. More like a defibrillator shock right when everyone was about to call time of death on a sluggish market.
Netflix snagged worldwide rights (outside of France) to the animated feature In Waves, which premiered at Cannes Critics' Week, while Warner Bros.' Clockworks label is eyeing Park Chan-wook's highly anticipated The Brigands of Rattlecreek. These last-minute deals provided some much-needed excitement in a market that was otherwise feeling flat, as sellers anxiously awaited any signs of movement.
What's Behind the Deals
In Waves — A Unique Animated Love Story
- Director: Phuong Mai Nguyen
- Voice Cast: Will Sharpe (Flowers, The White Lotus), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
- Based On: A graphic novel by AJ Dungo, known for its hand-drawn aesthetic that stands out in a sea of CGI animation.
Netflix's acquisition of In Waves is particularly noteworthy because it showcases a distinct visual style that diverges from typical animated fare. It's a poignant love story about a teenager named AJ who falls for Kristen, a surfer girl. However, the plot takes a darker turn as illness threatens to tear them apart. Will this combination of beauty and tragedy find a big enough audience on a platform that auto-plays Cocomelon for toddlers? Hard to say.
A Star-Studded Western
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' Clockworks is in the negotiation phase for The Brigands of Rattlecreek, starring a powerhouse cast including Matthew McConaughey, Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, and Tang Wei. Park Chan-wook, known for Oldboy and Decision to Leave, is taking on the Western, and the film is expected to explore themes of obsession, betrayal, and revenge — classic elements of both the director's work and the genre.
Most coverage is treating this as a prestige play, but the more honest read is that Clockworks needs a marquee title to justify its existence, and Park Chan-wook needs a commercial hit after Decision to Leave grossed just $8.7 million domestically in South Korea against festival-circuit expectations that were far higher. This isn't a passion project finding a home; it's two parties with something to prove choosing each other strategically.
The Financial Landscape: What We Know
Here's where it gets a bit tricky. The figures surrounding these deals are largely shrouded in mystery, which is odd for high-profile acquisitions. For context, A24's Club Kid was reportedly bought for $17 million in a bidding war at the same Cannes market, serving as a benchmark for what serious contenders might cost.
So far, there's no financial breakdown for either In Waves or Rattlecreek, which leaves us speculating about their actual market value. Studios typically love to flaunt numbers when they're proud of their purchases, and the silence on this front raises eyebrows.
Animated Films: The Mixed Success Rate
Animated features that gain traction at festivals often struggle to convert that into streaming success. Consider this brief track record:
| Film | Year | Festival | Outcome | |------|------|----------|---------| | Flee | 2021 | Sundance / Cannes | Oscar-nominated; moderate streaming numbers | | Caricature | 2022 | Cannes Critics' Week | Gained cult status; limited mainstream exposure | | The Breadwinner | 2017 | Toronto | Oscar-nominated; underseen on streaming despite a Netflix deal |
In Waves, while praised, faces the same uphill battle. It's not just a cute high school love story; it's heavy with grief and struggle. I can't help but wonder if Netflix will actually put resources behind marketing it as an awards contender, or if it'll end up buried somewhere between a true-crime docuseries and a rom-com nobody asked for. The pattern isn't encouraging. The Breadwinner had a three-time Oscar-nominated production team behind it, landed an actual Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2018, and still couldn't crack Netflix's algorithm-driven homepage in any meaningful way — a cautionary tale that festival heat and streaming visibility operate on entirely different currencies.
Phuong Mai Nguyen's Insight on Love and Loss
Nguyen has expressed that AJ Dungo's graphic novel adaptation is "a book about grief that doesn't feel like grief — it feels like love that's still moving." This framing is central to the film's emotional depth. The surfing scenes and camaraderie among friends are just as critical to the narrative as the underlying illness. One sequence that reportedly drew audible reactions at the Critics' Week screening: AJ paddling out alone at dawn, the watercolor ocean swelling around him in silence, no dialogue for nearly two minutes. Just waves.
Will Sharpe, who voices AJ, mentioned that the film required a different kind of restraint in his performance due to its hand-drawn style, which contrasts sharply with the usual CG animation. Stephanie Hsu's nuanced emotional range adds another layer to Kristen's character (honestly, her casting might be the smartest decision the production made), making this a pairing worth watching.
The Stakes for The Brigands of Rattlecreek
Park Chan-wook directing a revenge Western? Sounds odd. Potentially brilliant. His films often dissect obsession and vengeance, aligning well with Western motifs. But the challenge is real — can he retain his artistic vision amidst all those star names and studio expectations?
Warner Bros. has chosen to route this deal through Clockworks instead of their traditional structure, signaling a bet on a fresh identity for the label. If this deal closes, it'll be a major win for Clockworks, but it may also expose them to the tension between commercial interests and artistic integrity that has sunk similar boutique-label experiments before. Remember Focus Features' rocky first years? Same energy.
Where to Watch in India
For Indian viewers, In Waves will stream on Netflix due to the acquisition. However, there's uncertainty about whether it'll feature Hindi, Tamil, or Telugu dubs. Traditionally, Netflix has been selective with regional dubbing for animated content. Expect English subtitles, though. For Indian audiences, the more relevant comp isn't Pixar or Studio Ghibli — it's Bombay Rose (2021), Gitanjali Rao's hand-painted animated feature that Netflix picked up for India and then gave virtually zero promotional push, leaving it to find viewers through word of mouth alone.
As for The Brigands of Rattlecreek, no streaming platform has been confirmed yet. If Clockworks seals the deal, theatrical releases in India usually go through PVR Inox and Cinepolis, with OTT rights eventually available on platforms linked to Warner Bros.
What's Next for Both Films?
Currently, neither In Waves nor The Brigands of Rattlecreek has a release date. Clockworks is still in exclusive talks for Rattlecreek, meaning it could still fall through (though I doubt it).
Keep an eye out for a trailer for In Waves as Netflix gears up for awards season, especially given its Critics' Week premiere. A 2027 release for Rattlecreek would be optimistic; 2028 might be more realistic.
Both films could become remarkable entries in their respective genres, but whether they'll get the spotlight they deserve is another question entirely. We shall see.
The Latest: Cannes 2026 Wrap-Up
As of May 20, 2026, both deals remain in progress, but In Waves is confirmed for Netflix, while Clockworks is in exclusive negotiations for Rattlecreek. For ongoing updates about streaming availability and release dates in India, Movie OTT will keep track of confirmed territories as they're announced. Keep your eyes peeled for news on the In Waves release as we approach awards season!
