Another product of the independent space has found a US distributor after Open Road announced on Thursday [3] it had acquired rights to the Sundance Film Festival closing night film jOBS, stealing a march on Sony’s rival biopic.

Inferno Entertainment boarded the project before Cannes last summer and handles international sales. CAA packaged jOBS and represented Dallas-based producer-financier Five Star Feature Films in the US deal.

Five Star Feature Films is putting up the P&A, which according to reports will be as high as $10m although Open Road sources declined to comment. Open Road will release jOBS in April and will most likely see how the film plays in Park City before deciding whether to commit to a platform or wide release. The Sundance world premiere is scheduled for Jan 25.

Joshua Michael Stern directed the biopic of Apple guru Steve Jobs from Matthew Whitely’s screenplay. Ashton Kutcher leads a cast that includes Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, JK Simmons and Matthew Modine.

”jOBS is certain to resonate with audiences and we are thrilled to partner with Five Star Feature Films to bring this film to theatres,” said Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg.

“[Open Road] were as impressed as we were with Ashton Kutcher’s inspiring and unforgettable performance as Steve Jobs and are excited to distribute the picture in the US,” said Hulme.

Sony’s rival project will be centred on Aaron Sorkin’s adapted screenplay of the authorised biography by Walter Isaacson that came out in late October 2011, shortly after Jobs’ death.

Topics