Weinstein Company picks up Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale from SundancePosted by Wilson Morales
January 21, 2013
Source: Deadline
Harvey Weinstein is salting his Oscar arsenal for next year. After a heated auction with numerous bidders, The Weinstein Company is in exclusive negotiations to acquire Fruitvale for a bit north of $2 million, and a commitment for a big theatrical release.
Deal covers English-speaking territories. The Ryan Coogler-directed drama is about the last day in the life of 22-year-old Oscar Grant before he was killed in a case that galvanized protests against police brutality in Oakland. It is the first big theatrical deal for Weinstein at the festival. The bidding on this one has been going hot and heavy since last night with multiple distributors. Weinstein got into exclusive deal talks after late-hour negotiating that also included Fox Searchlight, Paramount Pictures, Focus Features and CBS Films.
Since its Saturday opening, Fruitvale has resonated with buyers, with potential to be a festival picture that come out of nowhere — like Precious and Beasts Of The Southern Wild — to capture audience and critical acclaim. It’s galvanized by the performance of Michael B Jordan, memorable in The Wire, Friday Night Lights and Chronicle. He plays Oscar, a young man who has been in trouble with the law but is decent at heart and tries to straighten out his life to care for his girlfriend and young daughter.
The film unfolds on the final day of 2008 and also stars The Help‘s Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand and Chad Michael Murray. The film is Coogler’s feature directorial debut, and Forest Whitaker is among the producers. The auction is being handled by WME Global’s Mark Ankner and Liesl Copland.
