The new film from You’re Next director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett will be coming to a theater near you this fall. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews, Picturehouse has picked up U.S. rights to The Guest for a fall release, marking the studio's second feature film release after making their debut with last year's Metallica Through the Never. The Guest stars Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as a soldier who befriends the family of a fallen comrade and becomes a threat to everyone around him when it turns out he may not be who he says he is. I caught the pic at Sundance and it’s a great 80’s throwback that’s kind of like a cross between Halloween and The Terminator. Stevens is excellent in a dark role that is the polar opposite of his Downton Abbey character, and Wingard and Barrett have a ton of fun with the gleefully dark premise.
Hit the jump to read the full press release, click here to read Matt’s review, and be sure to watch Steve’s interviews with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett from Sundance.
Here’s the press release:
PICTUREHOUSE ACQUIRES SNOOT ENTERTAINMENT’S ‘THE GUEST’
Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s Sundance hit,
starring Dan Stevens, to be released in the Fall.
NEW YORK—MARCH 7, 2014--Picturehouse has acquired all US rights to the Sundance hit THE GUEST, from the visionary team behind YOU’RE NEXT: director Adam Wingard, writer Simon Barrett and Snoot Entertainment’s Keith Calder and Jessica Calder. The acquisition was announced today by Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse, who is planning a fall release for the film.
THE GUEST stars Dan Stevens of “Downton Abbey” fame, Maika Monroe, (AT ANY PRICE, LABOR DAY), Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, and Lance Reddick (“American Horror Story” and “Intelligence”).
The film tells the story of a young soldier who arrives on the doorstep of the Peterson family, claiming to be a good friend of their beloved son who died in action. The Petersons welcome David into their home and into their lives, but when people start mysteriously dying in town, mayhem ensues as their teenage daughter Anna starts wondering if David is responsible.
“THE GUEST is hilariously fun and innovative, and its recent premiere at Sundance blew everyone away,” says Berney. “We pride ourselves on collaborating with filmmakers, and Keith, Jess, Adam and Simon are a force of nature.”
"We're so excited to work with Bob and Jeanne at Picturehouse after long admiring the fantastic job they've done releasing some of our favorite movies of all time,” said producers Keith and Jessica Calder.
The deal was negotiated by Bob Berney on behalf of Picturehouse, and by CAA and Erik Hyman of Loeb & Loeb on behalf of the filmmakers.
ABOUT SNOOT ENTERTAINMENT
Snoot Entertainment is a motion picture production company founded by Keith Calder and Jessica Calder in February 2004 to develop, finance and produce entertaining independent films across all genres. Snoot’s prior collaboration with Wingard and Barrett before THE GUEST was the award-winning horror film YOU’RE NEXT, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 where Lionsgate acquired domestic rights for a wide theatrical release in August of 2013. Additionally, Snoot’s upcoming film FAULTS, director/writer Riley Stearn’s dramatic thriller starring Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, will premiere at the 2014 SXSW Festival. Snoot is currently in production on Charlie Kaufman's stop-motion animated feature film ANOMALISA.
Snoot also produced the Morgan Spurlock documentary, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, which was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the award-winning audience favorite documentary THUNDER SOUL, the martial-arts action film BUNRAKU, and the intense horror film UNDOCUMENTED. Snoot’s first release was the 3D animated science-fiction film BATTLE FOR TERRA. In addition, Calder produced ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, THE WACKNESS, THE KEY MAN, and PEEP WORLD through Snoot’s subsidiary company Occupant Films, which he co-founded in 2005.
Snoot is also an investor in the digital distribution startup VHX and the commercial production company Warpaint LLC, co-founded with Academy-Award nominated documentary director Morgan Spurlock.
ABOUT PICTUREHOUSE
Picturehouse, a New York-based independent film marketing and distribution company, reopened its doors with founder Bob Berney at the helm in 2013. The Company has an exclusive, multi-year output deal with Netflix and released its first film, METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER starring members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan in the Fall of 2013. Among the films that Berney has released are two of the most successful independent films of all time, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. Other notable films he has distributed include PAN’S LABYRINTH, DRIVE, INSIDIOUS, MEMENTO, DONNIE DARKO and WHALE RIDER.