The 2014 Toronto International Film Festival is only just getting started, but we’ve already got a few new acquisitions to tell you about. Here they are at a glance:
- Nearly eight months after premiering at Sundance, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows just scored a US distribution deal with Unison Films and made a US digital, DVD and broadcast distribution arrangement with The Orchard.
- Saban Capital Group, Inc. has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Taylor Lautner action thriller, Tracers.
- The North American rights to The Last 5 Years starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan just went to RADiUS. The company will release the film on Valentine’s Day 2015.
Hit the jump for more on all three films.
First up we’ve got What We Do in the Shadows. In addition to Unison Films taking the US theatrical rights and The Orchard acquiring US digital, DVD and broadcast distribution rights, both companies will also team with Funny or Die to give the social media and marketing campaigns a boost. Clement wrote, directed and stars in this one. Here’s the official synopsis of the film:
Flatmates Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are three vampires who are just trying to get by in modern society; from paying rent and sticking to the housework roster to trying to get invited in to nightclubs, they’re just like anyone else - except they’re immortal and must feast on human blood. When their 8000 year-old flatmate Petyr, turns 20-something human hipster Nick, into a vampire, the guys must teach him the ropes and guide him through his new found eternal life. And in return they are forced to learn a thing or two about modern society, fashions, technology, and the internet. But it’s the introduction of Nick’s human friend, Stu, that really changes the vampire’s lives and attitudes towards the ever-changing world around them. When Stu’s life is threatened, the vamps show us that maybe humans are worth fighting for, and that even though your heart may be cold and dead, it doesn’t mean you can’t feel anything.
We haven’t really seen much of Lautner since The Twilight Saga wrapped up. (Does Grown Ups 2 really count?) However, Saban Capital Group, Inc. is joining the effort to get him back on the big screen soon enough. Chairman and CEO Haim Saban just announced that the company has acquired the North American distribution rights to the film. Here’s the official synopsis:
The fast-paced action thriller follows New York City bicycle messenger, Cam (Lautner) who is the hottest thing on two wheels, but is in debt to an organized crime gang. When he crashes his bike into a sexy stranger, Nikki (Marie Avgeropoulos), Cam is immediately seduced by her and the thrill of the high-stakes world of parkour.
Last up we’ve got Richard LaGravenese’s The Last 5 Years. RADiUS just snagged the North American rights to this one. It isn’t scheduled to have its world premiere at TIFF until Sunday, September 7th, but RADiUS already has the film locked for a Valentine’s Day 2015 release, putting it up against Fifty Shades of Grey. Here’s the official synopsis for The Last 5 Years:
THE LAST FIVE YEARS is a musical chronicling a love affair and marriage taking place over a five year period. Jamie Wellerstein (Jordan) is a young, talented up and coming novelist who falls in love with Cathy Hiatt (Kendrick), a struggling actress. Their story is told almost entirely through song. All of Cathy's songs begin at the end of their marriage and move backwards in time to the beginning of their love affair, while Jamie's songs start at the beginning of their affair and move forward to the end of their marriage. They meet in the center when Jamie proposes.
