Paramount Vantage arrives at its first market as a fully operational sales entity with six fresh projects for buyers including new work from Will Ferrell and Open Water director Chris Kentis.

Kentis' untitled follow-up to his 2003 worldwide hit Open Water is being lined up for a February 2008 shoot and charts the gradual unravelling of a woman who is interrogated as a homicide suspect.

Vantage co-president Nick Meyer sold international rights on Open Water during his tenure as Lionsgate's international chief and Vantage president John Lesher used to represent Kentis and producer Laura Lau in his days as an agent at Endeavor.

The Goods: The Don Ready Story stems from Vantage's first-look deal with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions and is set to begin filming in Los Angeles on Nov 29.

Jeremy Piven will play an ace used car salesman. Ving Rhames also stars and Ferrell, who is producing with McKay and Kevin Messick, has a cameo role. Chappelle Show co-creator Neal Brennan makes his directorial debut.

Horror thriller Carriers is currently in post-production and is a co-production with This Is That about four youngsters who try to flee a global pandemic. Red hot Chris Pine, who will play Captain Kirk in J J Abram's upcoming Star Trek epic, stars alongside Piper Perabo, Lou Taylor Pucci and Emily VanCamp.

Alex and David Pastor directed and Anthony Bregman and Ray Angelic are producing. Vantage is financing all three films and is co-financing with Michael London's Groundswell Productions the previously announced comedy The Marc Pease Experience.

Currently in post-production, the film stars Jason Schwartzman as a former high school musical star who lives in the past. Ben Stiller plays the man's mentor. London is producing with David Rubin and Bruna Papandrea, and Todd Louiso is directing. Vantage holds North American rights to all four films.

The company is also selling the thriller Traitor with Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce and the romance Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson - both of which are filming now - under its deal with fledgling distributor Overture Films, which will release the pair in North America.

Sales were completed in Toronto on Traitor and Last Chance Harvey to the UK (Momentum), Benelux (RCV), Eastern Europe (EEAP), and Gussi (Latin America).

Last Chance Harvey also sold to Icon in Australia and Concorde in Germany.

'This is a great, diverse line-up we are offering,' said Alex Walton, vice president of international sales.

'It's beyond expectations in many respects to be bringing six films to the market with North American distribution within four months of set-up.'

'When I came Paramount Vantage a few months ago [international sales] was one of the key areas I wanted to focus on,' Meyer said. 'The market place is ready for another supplier of high-level programming. 'We've got great staff here and we've built a pretty unique brand. In Alex we have found a key executive who is well known, well liked, and does a great job leading our sales efforts.'

Topics