EXCLUSIVE: In a deal worth around $3 million for North American rights, The Orchard has acquired the Brett Haley-directed The Hero, the drama that stars Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, and Katherine Ross. Haley, who helmed I’ll See You In My Dreams, wrote the script with Marc Basch. The Orchard will do a big fall theatrical push for the film, a real showcase for Elliott in a role that is a glove fit for him.
He plays a former Western film icon, living a comfortable existence lending his golden voice to advertisements and smoking weed. He receives a lifetime achievement award and a cancer diagnosis that prompts him to reexamine his past. A chance meeting with a sardonic comic has him looking to the future. The film premiered Saturday night at the Library Center Theatre. Sam Bisbee, Houston King, and Erik Rommesmo are the producers. The Hero is competing in the U.S. Dramatic category. The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo, vice president of acquisitions for The Orchard with WME Global and Gersh on behalf of the filmmakers. This is the second acquisition of the festival for The Orchard, which acquired North American rights to Trophy, with CNN handling broadcast rights.
WME Global and Gersh have seven-figure offers on the table for international rights, with a deal expected to close tomorrow.
