Columbia Pictures has purchased the North American rights for James Gray’s "We Own the Night" for $11.5 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Walberg, Robert Duvall, and Eva Mendes, is in competition at Cannes.

Gray also scripted "Night," a crime drama that tells the story of a New York nightclub manager who is attempting to protect his family members from harm by way of the Russian mafia. The film has yet to have its premiere at Cannes, but became a talked-about property nonetheless. It is slated for a fall release. Columbia beat out a number of interested parties for "Night," including Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, Warner Independent Pictures, Warners, Fox Searchlight, and Miramax.


He owns the night. Columbia owns the movie.

Gray's previous film was 2000's "The Yards." Click here for more coverage of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.