IFC Films has picked up all North American rights in Toronto fromICM to Code Entertainment's upcoming mob comedy You Kill Me.

John Dahl directed the picture, which is currently inpost-production and stars Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic hitman sent to the WestCoast to dry out. Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, Bill Pullman and PhilipBaker Hall also star.

The picture will open in 2007 and marks a departure for IFC interms of its size, star power and box office potential. Going forward IFC Filmswill seek out bigger pictures with the aim of releasing four to six titles eachyear budgeted in the $4m-$10m range.

"This is a film with enormous commercial potential," IFCEntertainment president Jonathan Sehring said. "It is a big movie with agreat cast and this acquisition signifies an aggressive new direction for IFC Films.

"With our First Take label providing a lucrative option forsmaller, critically acclaimed indie and foreign fare, IFC Films is in the positionto acquire and release movies of a much larger scale.

"You Kill Me is hugely appealing and exactly what we've been looking for over the past several months to launch us in thisnew direction."

Los Angeles-based Code Entertainment financed the project andproduced with Ben Kingsley's BiPolar Productions, Carol Baum Inc, and Mike Marcus'Echo Lake Productions.

Code's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso produced withCarol Baum, Mike Marcus, and Zvi Howard Rosenman. Leoni and Jonathan Dana servedas executive producers.

ICM brought the project to Code and Capitol Films ishandling international sales. "We're excited about what IFC isdoing," Code partner Rosenblatt said. "We think this is a perfect fitfor the movie."

Sehring and John Sloss negotiated the deal on behalf of IFC withICM and Endeavor representing the project and Dana representing the producerswith lawyer Mark Halloran.

IFC previouslyacquired two Toronto pictures for the First Take label: the German exorcismdrama Requiem and politicaldocumentary ...So Goes the Nation.