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'On the Road' Picked Up Early by AMC, IFC Films & Sundance Selects
by Alex Billington
May 8, 2012
Early acquisition news for a big title playing in Cannes. It has been officially announced that IFC Films and Sundance Selects have partnered to acquire and distribute Walter Salles' On the Road, an adaptation of Jack Kerouac's book starring Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart. The film is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month, meaning celebrities like Hedlund and Stewart will be on the red carpet, bringing a lot of attention - along with hopefully positive reviews. But now IFC and Sundance have jumped on it early, securing the U.S. rights to the film and setting it for "major theatrical release" late fall this year.
Based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac published in 1957, the film stars Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst and features performances by Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Danny Morgan, Alice Braga, Elisabeth Moss and Viggo Mortensen. The screenplay was written by Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), it's being directed by Walter Salles (Exposure, Foreign Land, Behind the Sun, The Motorcycle Diaries, Dark Water). Executive producer Francis Ford Coppola has been developing the project since 1978. We featured the first official trailer a few months back and it looks pretty damn good.
AMC Networks made the announcement, and Josh Sapan, CEO and President, stated in the press release: "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. This exceptional piece of filmmaking is the cinematic equivalent to the ground-breaking original content that our company produces for its networks." That's some high praise. Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, added: "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." We'll keep you guys updated on its release this fall!
1 Comment
1
This is good news. It must mean it really is worth the trouble. Will you see it at Cannes, Alex? If you do, please review it!
Isildur_of_Numenor on May 9, 2012
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