While everyone else was fascinated with (or hiding from) President Barack Obama’s celebration prep and actual inauguration, Hollywood was shivering its butts off at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, with the distribution companies theater-hopping and scouring the offerings since January 15 in their hopes to find the next Juno or The Wrestler. And what did they find?
Brooklyn’s Finest becomes first big-budget sale of festival
Senator and Sony’s home video department wrapped up Brooklyn’s Finest Saturday night, offering a reported $5M for the film, which stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, and Ethan Hawke as cops who find themselves at a similar low moral and morale point in their careers. Finest is likely to go back into the editing bays before its debut in the winter for awards season. (Source: Variety)
Fox Searchlight gives Adam a nod
Called the first specialty purchase of the festival, Fox got the worldwide rights to Adam, a film about two New Yorkers in a relationship and once of them has Asperger’s syndrome. The stars are Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
Sony Classics gets an Education
A bidding war erupted over the North American and Latin American rights to An Education, which was eventually won by Sony Classics for $3 million. Education was written by Nick Hornby from a memoir by Lynn Barber about a 16-year old British schoolgirl who falls for an older man. (Source: Variety)
Shelton gives Magnolia a Humpday
Another bidding war erupted over Humpday, which went to Magnolia Pictures for about the mid-$500K according to the article. Lynn Shelton is the director of this flick, which is about two straight guys who decide to have gay sex and film it for an art project. And apparently, it’s going to be released On Demand before it goes into theaters… shouldn’t that be the other way around? (Source: Variety)
Lionsgate picks up The Winning Season
After having barely squeaked into the festival, director James Strouse is probably relieved that it did, for it went to Lionsgate. The comedic Season stars Sam Rockwell as an alcoholic who is forced to coach high school basketball as a part of his recovery. Haven’t we seen a plot or plot elements like this before? (Source: Variety)