On the Road US Distribution News, HQ Still, and It Will be In Competition at the Sydney Film Festival
IFC Films and Sundance Selects to handle US Distribution.
Variety EXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to ON THE ROAD, to be released jointly by the company’s film distribution labels IFC Films and Sundance Selects sometime this fall. Walter Salles’ adaptation of the Beat Generation tome by Jack Kerouac will world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, which begins next week.
Deal was said to be in the low seven figures. Multiple people who have seen the film agreed that it contains awards-caliber performances and cinematography, but add that its two-hours-plus length and nebulous narrative will make it a challenge to market to mainstream auds.
But ON THE ROAD will unspool with more than one built-in fanbase; fans of Kerouac’s stream-of-consciousness road trip tale, written in 1951 and published in 1957, will be eager to check out its first-ever bigscreen adaptation.
And another factor at the box office will be fervent TWILIGHT devotees, who have been constantly buzzing about her role as Mary Lou since the project was announced two years ago almost to the day. Other cast includes TRON: LEGACY star Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty; Kirsten Dunst as Camille; and Sam Riley as Kerouac’s alter ego, Sal Paradise. Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss and Viggo Mortensen co-star. -@Variety_JLD/Josh L. Dickey.
AMC Networks has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to ON THE ROAD, to be released jointly by the company’s film distribution labels IFC Films and Sundance Selects sometime this fall. Sundance Selects/IFC Films plans a traditional theatrical roll-out, and will handle all downstream platforms.
“We are over the moon ecstatic to be involved with this incredible film,” Sundance Selects/IFC Films prexy Jonathan Sehring told Variety. The pickup is “a statement not only to our entire organization’s love of the project, but to the number of different innovative ways we are going to make sure the film reaches as wide an audience as possible.” via kstewartnews
THR“Walter Salles has made an ambitious and accomplished film out of Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel. It’s a classic road movie with career-making performances from Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley, and a terrific showcase for Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst,” Josh Sapan, CEO and president of AMC Networks, said. “This is a major step forward for us, and we plan to work across AMC Networks in putting all our resources together to make this theatrical release into a significant cultural event,” Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, added.
'On the Road' Australian Premiere at the Sydney Film Festival
‘On The Road’ is in competition and will premiere June 10th 2PM (another showing on June 15th at 5PM).
For more information, check out the Sydney Film Festival website Via kstewartnews/ @mel452
