EXCLUSIVE: Dealmaking has begun. Searchlight Pictures secured its first major local deal at the Sundance Film Festival – $10 million for WW rights for A Real Pain, directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. He plays the unlikely cousins David and Benji with newly crowned Emmy winner “Succession” star Kieran Culkin. They meet again for a tour of Poland in honor of their grandmother, but against the background of the family history, older tensions resurface. The film will get a big theatrical release.
Pic also stars Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe, Kurt Egyiawan (“Beasts of No Nation”), Liza Sadovy (“A Small Light”) and Daniel Oreskes (“Only Murders in the Building”). and it is produced by Topic and Fruit Tree, with Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Ewa Puszczynska, Jennifer Semler, Eisenberg and Emma Stone all producing. The film, which is running in the US Drama Competition, has caused a stir since its premiere in Eccles yesterday and bidding demand has increased.
The deal was brokered by CAA Media Finance and WME. It was a real night auction, a throwback to previous years at Sundance. Numerous bidders took part. Searchlight executives Paul Hoffman and Chan Phung brokered the deal.
“We are overwhelmed by Jesse’s vision and talent to tell this hilarious and profound film,” said Searchlight Presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “He tells a deeply personal story and makes it universal. We can’t wait to bring it to audiences around the world.”
Eisenberg added: “Do it “A Real Pain” was a true labor of love and premiering at Sundance was so exciting. It’s a great honor to work with Searchlight and bring this story to a broader audience.”
“We couldn’t be prouder of Jesse and this beautiful film and are absolutely thrilled to be working with David, Matthew and our friends at Searchlight again on its release,” said Ryan Heller, EVP of Film and Documentary at Topic Studios.
The Fruit Tree camp said: “We fully believe in Jesse as a creative voice and were thrilled to collaborate again on his second film of such ambitious scope and subject matter. Having another friend and beloved employee on board in Kieran Culkin was more than we could have wished for, as was working with the amazing team at Searchlight.”
Searchlight is currently working with Stone on the Oscars of the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed film “Golden Lion” and “Golden Globe” winner “Poor Things”; and Andrew Haigh's critically acclaimed romantic drama All of Us Strangers. World premiere of “Searchlight” at Sundance: “Suncoast” directed by Laura Chinn and starring Laura Linney, Nico Parker and Woody Harrelson. Searchlight has a long track record of exploiting Sundance gems, from “Napoleon Dynamite” to last year's deals for “Theater Camp” and “Magazine Dreams,” the latter not because of the film's quality and performance, but because of the Star Jonathan Majors' legal problems failed.
There was great enthusiasm for many of the films that premiered in the opening part of the festival, and there are more to follow today. More talk of deals than I've heard at this point in the festival in several years. I'm not sure there will be a record breaker like the $25 million Apple paid for the eventual Best Picture Oscar winner CODA, but many of these films will find a home. Most probably won't sell until the buyer and seller go home, because the pace of deals is much more deliberate than in the past, because you can appreciate the artistry of a film, but you have to be sure to market it, to release it and can produce some money. But it's a good time in Park City.