Roadside Attractions: Last News

Brent Lang Executive Editor Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to “Accidental Texan,” a comedy about a Harvard grad and actor stranded in the “Lone Star State” where he stumbles into the role of lifetime. The film, which stars Thomas Haden Church and Rudy Pankow, will open in theaters on March 8, 2024. According to the official plot description, “Accidental Texan” kicks off when Erwin (Pankow), a recent Ivy League student, flames out of his first professional acting gig when he forgets to turn off his phone and triggers an explosive nightmare on set.

EXCLUSIVE: The TIFF Midnight Madness movie, Boy Kills World, has been picked up by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. The action movie starring Bill Skarsgård, Michelle Dockery, Jessica Rothe, and Famke Janssen has set a wide theatrical release for April 26.

Roadside Attractions and Vertical have acquired U.S. rights to Firebrand, a historical thriller starring Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) and Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) that world premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film directed by Karim Aïnouz (Invisible Life) is slated for an exclusive theatrical release on June 21, 2024, when it will go up against Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders and an as-yet-undisclosed title from Universal.

Caroline Brew editor Roadside Attractions and Vertical have acquired the U.S. rights to the historical thriller “Firebrand,” which will open in theaters on June 21. Based on the historical novel “Queen’s Gambit” by Elizabeth Fremantle, the film stars Alicia Vikander and Jude Law and is directed by Karim Aïnouz.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired U.S. rights to “Bring Him to Me,” a mob thriller starring Barry Pepper (“Saving Private Ryan”) and Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”). The film will open in select theaters and on digital on Jan.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions has claimed U.S. rights to Dreamer, a thriller exec produced by Roma Oscar nominee Yalitza Aparicio, which examines enslaved child labor in the U.S. Inspired by a landmark sweatshop case in El Monte, CA, the film marks the feature directorial debut of veteran producer Mohit Ramchandani, and will bow exclusively in theaters nationwide April 5th, 2024.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Fathom Events and Roadside Attractions are teaming up to release Madeleine Gavin’s Sundance award-winning documentary “Beyond Utopia.” The film takes viewers on a harrowing journey as one family risks everything to escape from North Korea. The pact comes after the film made its world premiere in the U.S. documentary competition section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the doc audience award.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Roadside Attractions has acquired the U.S. rights to “Camp Hideout” and will release the family comedy theatrically in the fall. The film follows a troubled teen named Noah (Ethan Drew), who nearly gets caught stealing a top-secret gadget from some big city thugs. He then barely escapes by hiding in a summer camp run by the eccentric Falco (Christopher Lloyd) and counselors Jake (Corbin Bleu) and Selena (Amanda Leighton). While Noah tries to blend in with the rest of the rowdy campers, his crooked partners show up to steal the classified item from Noah. What follows is a series of wacky and zany events complete with home-made booby traps as Noah tries to escape the goons.  

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to The Last Rider, the story of cycling legend Greg LeMond, who came back from a near death experience to win his sport’s greatest race.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to “Dreamin’ Wild,” a drama about the rediscovery of singer and songwriter Donnie Emerson after years spent in obscurity. The film, which was directed by Bill Pohlad, a filmmaker who unearthed gold from another music industry saga with his 2014 Brian Wilson film “Love & Mercy,” premiered at Venice. “Dreamin’ Wild,” a reference to an album that Donnie released with his brother Joe Emerson, will open nationwide only in theaters on August 4, 2023. Roadside previously released “Love & Mercy,” making this a reunion for the filmmaker and distributor. The film centers on the critical reevaluation of “Dreamin’ Wild,” and the impact that second chance has on Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. as they must come to terms their new fame. Pohlad uses two different actors to explore the real-life characters in different time periods, just as he did in “Love & Mercy” with Paul Dano and John Cusack sharing the role of The Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson. This time, Oscar-winner Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) plays the older Donnie Emerson and Noah Jupe, who appeared in “Honey Boy,” plays the younger. Walton Goggins (“Justified”) and Jack Dylan Grazer (“It”) take on Donnie’s brother Joe, while Beau Bridges plays the family patriarch. Zooey Deschanel plays Donnie’s wife Nancy.

Roadside Attractions has nabbed North American rights to the drama Dreamin’ Wild, telling the true story of musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, slating it for release in theaters nationwide on August 4th.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Vertical have nabbed North American rights to the futuristic fable The Pod Generation, starring 4x Emmy nominee Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), which opened this year’s Sundance Film Festival and claimed its Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. It’s slated for release exclusively in theaters this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions has snapped up North American rights to the comedy My Happy Ending, toplined by four-time Golden Globe nominee Andie MacDowell (Maid). 

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions, Grindstone Entertainment, and Lionsgate have picked up North American distribution for Charlie Day’s feature directorial debut Fool’s Paradise.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions has acquired Moving On, an original comedy written and directed by About a Boy Oscar nominee Paul Weitz starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as estranged friends who reunite to seek revenge on the petulant widower (Malcolm McDowell) of their recently deceased best friend. Along the way, Fonda’s character reunites with her great love (Richard Roundtree) as each woman learns to make peace with the past and each other.  

Independent films in the theatrical marketplace are weathering a particularly fierce storm in the post-pandemic world with theatre closures and the struggle to get older audiences back into the cinema but Roadside Attraction’s Howard Cohen says that it will take one indie hit to drive numbers back up. 

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions nabbed “Somewhere in Queens,” a heartfelt comedy from writer-director Ray Romano. Romano, who stars in the movie as a working-class dad, also directed, co-wrote and produced “Somewhere in Queens” in his feature filmmaking debut. The film will be released theatrically by Roadside Attractions in 2023.  “I am so excited to know that Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will be bringing this movie to theaters everywhere,” Romano said. “I lived with every facet of this production for years, as a director, co-writer, actor and producer. It’s such a personal story for me, and it’s inspiring to see these two companies step up because they believe in the movie as much as I do.”

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have picked up Ray Romano’s feature directorial debut Somewhere in Queens, which previously had a world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The three-time Emmy winner also co-wrote, stars and produced the film. Roadside plans to give Somewhere in Queens a theatrical release next year. The pic currently stands at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Roadside Attractions has taken domestic rights for To The End, the follow-up film from Rachel Lears (Knock Down The House), and set a Dec. 9 theatrical-only release date.

Roadside Attractions following their release on the big screen can now be found on Hulu.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter New movies from Roadside Attractions, the independent production company behind “Judy,” “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and “Manchester by the Sea,” will arrive on Hulu after playing in theaters. Roadside Attractions inked a multi-year output deal with Hulu for its post-theatrical window — known as the pay one window — sooner bringing the company’s films to the streamer. Under the terms of the deal, Hulu will receive exclusive U.S. streaming rights to upcoming Roadside Attractions films including director Phyllis Nagy’s abortion drama “Call Jane,” starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver; and the feel-good “Gigi & Nate,” featuring Charlie Rowe, Marcia Gay Harden and Jim Belushi.