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NEW YORK, NY (APRIL 8, 2020) IFC Films announced today that it is acquiring U.S. rights to THE RENTAL, Dave Franco’s chilling thriller co-written by Franco & Joe Swanberg. The film stars Alison Brie (Glow, Horse Girl, Promising Young Woman), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Call of the Wild), Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) and Sheila Vand (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Snowpiercer). THE RENTAL was produced and financed by Black Bear Pictures, with Franco, Elizabeth Haggard, Teddy Schwarzman, Ben Stillman, Swanberg and Christopher Storer serving as producers. Michael Heimler and Sean Durkin served as executive producers. The screenplay is based on a story by Franco & Swanberg & Mike Demski. IFC Films will release THE RENTAL day-and-date on July 24th.
In THE RENTAL, two couples embark on a weekend getaway to a seemingly perfect house they’ve booked online. But what begins as a celebratory weekend for the four close friends turns into something far more sinister as secrets they’ve kept from each other are exposed and they realize they may not be alone.
THE RENTAL marks the directorial debut of Franco best known for his roles in the hit films such as Neighbors, 21 Jump Street, Now You See Me, and their successful sequels, as well as in the critically acclaimed independent films The Little Hours, The Disaster Artist, and If Beale Street Could Talk.
Arianna Bocco EVP of Acquisitions and Productions at IFC Films said, “We’re beyond excited to partner with Dave on his directorial debut. He is a clear talent in front of and behind the camera and we are thrilled to bring this film to American audiences.”
Dave Franco added, “I’ve admired the IFC brand and their films for as long as I can remember. I couldn’t be more excited about partnering with them for my directorial debut. They have such a strong track record when it comes to elevated genre films, which makes them the perfect home for THE RENTAL.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ EVP of Acquisitions and Productions Arianna Bocco and Endeavor Content on behalf of Black Bear Pictures and the filmmakers. STXinternational is handling international sales for the picture.
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ABOUT IFC FILMS
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) and digital platforms.
Upcoming releases include THE TRUTH directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu and Shannon Murphy’s BABYTEETH. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
ABOUT BLACK BEAR PICTURES
Black Bear Pictures is a boutique media company that develops, produces and finances original and engaging content for film and television. Since its 2011 launch, Black Bear’s slate has grossed over $325,000,000 worldwide, been nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, nine Golden Globes, ten BAFTAs, and premiered at such prestigious festivals as Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York, and London. Black Bear’s library includes such films as Morten Tyldum’s THE IMITATION GAME starring Benedict Cumberbatch & Keira Knightley, Dee Rees’ epic drama MUDBOUND, J.C. Chandor’s ALL IS LOST starring Robert Redford, George Clooney’s SUBURBICON starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, and Peter Hedges’ BEN IS BACK starring Julia Roberts & Lucas Hedges. In addition to THE RENTAL, upcoming releases include J Blakeson’s I CARE A LOT starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez and Dianne Wiest, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s THE FRIEND starring Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck, and Heidi Ewing’s I CARRY YOU WITH ME, which won the Next Audience Award and Innovator Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. In addition, Black Bear owns Elevation Pictures Corp, the leading independent film and TV distribution company in Canada.
For more information: www.blackbearpictures.com, Instagram: @blackbearpics, Twitter: @blackbearpics
DAVE FRANCO BIO
Franco will next be seen starring in the Quibi limited series “The Now” releasing May 18th; and recently directed a national spot for the Rimowa x Garrett Leight collaboration. He is best known for his roles in the hit films “Neighbors,” “21 Jump Street,” “Now You See Me,” and their successful sequels, as well as in the critically acclaimed independent films “The Little Hours,” “The Disaster Artist,” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” He has lent his voice to “The LEGO Movie” and “The LEGO Ninjago Movie.” On the small screen he is known for his roles in “Scrubs” and “Easy.” Franco first broke into the comedy scene by directing and starring in original sketches for Funny or Die. Franco is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson, and Relevant.