An unusually busy first weekend of on-site deal-making in Park City continued into the week as Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush partnered on world rights to Me And Earl And The Dying Girl and The Orchard acquired The Overnight.
By the time the deal closed late on Sunday night Searchlight is understood to have invested mid-seven figures in the film.
Sales agent WME Global and film-maker representatives Indian Paintbrush emerged with what they believe would be the best deal for all parties and resisted offers of up to $10m from a pack that included the US majors, Lionsgate and TWC, with one studio willing to go higher than $12m in what would have resulted in a record Sundance advance.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (pictured) from Jesse Andrews’ Black List screenplay adapted from his eponymous novel.
Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke star in the tale of a high school student who reignites an old friendship with a girl who has been diagnosed with cancer.
Searchlight famously found phenomenal success last year with the similarly-themed The Fault In Our Stars, which has amassed $304m worldwide and stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as terminally ill teenagers in love.
Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal and Connie Britton round out the cast on Me And Earl And The Dying Girl. Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales produced with Dan Fogelman and Jeremy Dawson. Nora Skinner served as executive producer on the US Dramatic Competition selection.
An action-packed weekend has already seen The Orchard buy The Overnight and Open Road and Sony double up on Rick Famuyiwa’s US Dramatic Competition selection and coming-of-age comedy Dope in a deal said to be worth $7m with a $20m P&A commitment.
Open Road will release in the US and Sony handles international territories on the story, which takes place in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighbourhood.
Weekend reports also claimed Sony Pictures Classics had picked up US rights to US Dramatic Competition entry The Diary Of A Teenage Girl by director Marielle Heller.
- Network Sundance Channel Global has picked up rights to premiere five films and will broadcast shortly after the festival: François Delisle’s Canadian drama Chorus; Lamberto Sanfelice’s Italian drama Chlorine; Sophie Deraspe’s Canadian documentary The Amina Profile; Kenny Riches’ US comedy-drama The Strongest Man; and Charles Poekel’s US drama Christmas, Again.
- Breaking Glass Pictures has picked North America on Nathan Silver’s drama Uncertain Times and plans a theatrical and digital release in spring. The film premiered as part of IFP and Filmmaker Magazine’s Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You series in New York last November.
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