MADRID — Powerful Spanish media duo Antena 3 and DeAPlaneta have taken Spanish rights to the mystery thriller “The Tall Man,” starring Jessica Biel and helmed by France’s Pascal Laugier (“Martyrs,” “House of Voices”).

“Tall Man’s” theatrical and DVD rights will be handled in Spain by Barcelona-based DeAPlaneta, an indie distributor that forms part of media conglom DeAPlaneta Group, in turn a core shareholder in broadcaster Antena 3 Group.

Antena 3 will manage “Tall Man” Spanish TV rights.

Budgeted at $15 million, “Tall Man” marks Laugier’s English-language feature debut, following up his 2008 ultraviolent horror movie “Martyrs,” which the Weinstein Co. picked up Stateside.

Biel plays a nurse living in a small town where children have gone missing over the years, leaving no clues. One night, she finds her son’s bed empty and, desperately rushing downstairs, confronts a huge dark figure, with her son in his arms.

Pic also toplines Jodelle Ferland (“Eclipse,” “Case 39″), Stephen McHattie (“Watchmen,” “History of Violence”) and William B. Davis (“Passengers,” “The Messengers”).

“Tall Man” is produced by France’s SND-M6 Group, Clement Miserez’s Radar Films and, from Canada, Kevin DeWalt’s Minds Eye Ent., in association with Steven Schneider’s Room 101.

Now in post, film is being sold internationally by SND, which will release it in France in 2011.

SND’s mother company, Gallic broadcaster M6, is owned by Pan-European broadcast group RTL, also a shareholder at Antena 3 Group.

Spain’s highest-grossing pic production company in 2010, driven by teen drama “Three Steps Above Heaven,” Antena 3 is obliged by a new Spanish law to invest 3% of its yearly revenues in Spanish or European movies.

Pre-buying “Tall Man” from producers counts towards A3′s 3% movie investment obligation.

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