In a major deal said to be worth over $25 million, Searchlight Pictures has acquired Annapurna’s darkly comic neo-horror film “Nightbitch” to star Amy Adams and be directed by Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”).
Heller penned the script based on Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed debut novel which tells of a stay-at-home mother raising a toddler in the suburbs who embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood. She also becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a canine.
In other acquisition news, Neon has purchased North American distribution rights to Mark Jenkin’s “Enys Men” ahead of its Cannes premiere. Mary Woodvine and Edward Rowe star.
The story is set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the British coast. There, a wildlife volunteer descends into a metaphysical journey that challenges her grip on reality and pushes her into a living nightmare.
Finally, IFC Films has grabbed the North American rights to Michael Tyburski’s sci-fi comedy “Turn Me On” starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson. Filming begins in November.
The story takes place in a reality where the inconvenience of human emotion has been eradicated by a government-imposed daily vitamin. A young couple skip their dose to discover love, joy, and sex for the first time – and the emotional baggage that comes with it.
Source: Deadline
