EXCLUSIVE: QC Entertainment has committed to finance Sapien Safari, the directorial debut of actor Sharlto Copley. He also will star in the film.

This comes after QC Entertainment partners Sean McKittrick, Ray Mansfield and Edward H. Hamm Jr. staked Jordan Peele’s feature directorial debut Get Out, signing on at pitch stage to produce and finance the woke genre film that became a blockbuster and is up for four Oscars this weekend: Best Picture, Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya, and Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Peele.

Copley wrote the script for Sapien Safari, a social comedy that focuses on alien naturalist Riblik — the Steve Irwin of the galaxy — who faces an uphill battle to convince the greedy new owner of Earth that its dominant wildlife species is worth protecting. Copley is a veteran actor whose work spans District 9, Maleficent, OldBoy, Elysium and Hardcore Henry. Next up is Gringo with David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, and Joel Edgerton.

Inga Smith of IV Management and Ilya Naishuller brought the project to Shaun Redick of Impossible Dream Entertainment. Redick, who has a first-look deal with QC Entertainment, brought it to the QC partners. They sparked to another actor-turned-director on a social aware film.

“Sharlto is an artist who brings a rare blend of wit, depth and unabashed enthusiasm to everything he takes on,” said QC’s McKittrick, Mansfield and Hamm. “We were immediately all in on partnering with Sharlto on his wildly imaginative and unique vision for a social comedy.”

Said Copley: “In an increasingly risk-averse environment, the team at QC have been an enormous blessing. They have an eye for bold, edgy and original material with commercial potential. Once on board, they wholeheartedly back the filmmaker. One can’t ask for more.”

Copley is repped by WME and ROAR. QC’s Mansfield negotiated the deals on behalf of the producers.