John Turturro’s crime thriller The Only Living Pickpocket in New York has been sold to Sony Pictures Classics a month after its Sundance premiere.
A release date has not been determined, but SPC is aiming for a fall theatrical release.
Written and directed by Noah Segan, “Pickpocket” follows Harry (Turturro), a veteran of his profession who struggles to keep up with changing times, including a trackable cell phone, little cash in his wallet and a gun hidden in plain sight. After a failed theft, Harry begins a race against time in the Big Apple. Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi, Karina Arroyave, Victoria Moroles, Will Price, and Jamie Lee Curtis round out the cast.
Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement: “Director Noah Segan’s The Only Alive is one of the best New York films ever made and a great piece of entertainment, with John Turturro giving the best performance of his career.” “It is sure to be a huge hit, captivating audiences around the world this fall.”
Critic Tomlis Lafley echoed similar sentiments in his review for Variety, praising New York’s Only Living Pickpocket as “an unapologetically local love letter to the Big Apple and its lesser-known denizens, worthy of New York.” She added that “Pickpocket” feels like a new minor-key New York classic.
This is Sony Pictures Classics’ third acquisition from Sundance this year, following the crowd-pleasing love story “Shake Your Ass” and the drama “Bedford Park.”
Seguin is best known for co-starring with Rian Johnson in films such as Looper, Brick and the Knives Out trilogy. His last directorial effort was 2022’s Blood Relative, a horror comedy about a Jewish vampire. “Pickpocket” is produced by Johnson’s T Street Productions, which backed the Sundance star of Chloe Demont’s psychological thriller “Fair Play” and sold it to Netflix in 2023 for a staggering $20 million.
Segan thanked Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Barnard, who he called “legends in their own right” and “symbolically supported the kind of integrity and care that we put into this film.”
“As a multi-generational New Yorker, it was about ‘New York’s Only Living Pickpocket’ to capture the soul and energy of our city, and no one embodies that vibe more than John Turturro,” Seguin said in a statement. “Working with his legendary friends and colleagues like Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito, actors who have defined New York cinema throughout their careers, gave us the authenticity that New York craves. Together with our staff, we were able to make discoveries through fellowship and shared history in our own backyard. We are thrilled to partner with Sony Pictures Classics in bringing this film to audiences.”
