Lionsgate Acquires You’re Next

Fans of A Horrible Way to Die will be happy to learn that the latest project from director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett has been picked up by Lionsgate. You’re Next received a lot of buzz during its showing at the Toronto International Film Festival, which resulted in a bidding war between multiple studios.

SANTA MONICA, CA (September 21, 2011) - LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, today announced that it has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to YOU’RE NEXT, following its screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival. The announcement was made jointly by Joe Drake, Lionsgate’s co-COO and Motion Picture Group President, and Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions.

Directed by Adam Wingard from a script penned by Simon Barrett, YOU’RE NEXT is a petrifying horror story starring Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, A.J. Bowen, Nicholas Tucci and Barbara Crampton. Snoot Entertainment’s Keith Calder and Jessica Wu produced the project with Simon Barrett and Kim Sherman. The film reunites the principal cast from Wingard and Barrett’s shocking serial-killer thriller A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, which screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

In YOU’RE NEXT, during a family reunion getaway, the Davison family comes under a sadistic attack. When Crispian Davison (Bowen) brings his new girlfriend (Vinson) along to celebrate the wedding anniversary of his parents (Moran and Crampton), the family’s evening together is shattered when a gang of mysterious killers begin to hunt the family down with brutal precision. Unfortunately for the killers however, one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

Jason Constantine negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate with Eda Kowan, SVP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Wendy Jaffe, the Acquisitions and Co-Production team’s EVP of Business & Legal Affairs. Snoot Entertainment is represented by CAA, who negotiated the sale on their behalf with Erik Hyman of Loeb & Loeb.

“This project represents everything that we look for in a horror film,” explains Constantine of the company’s decision to acquire the film. “It is a celebration of its genre, featuring top notch performances from a sophisticated script, brilliantly directed, that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats – when they’re not jumping out of them.” Added Drake, “Lionsgate has had much success in the horror space, particularly with truly creative, daring genre films such as this one that we are uniquely suited to market equally boldly. This film is a perfect example of Lionsgate sticking to our roots and continuing to speak to an audience of horror fans that we know and love.”

“We are blown away by the passion the Lionsgate team has for our film, and are honored to be working with the finest horror franchise marketers and distributors in the world,” added producer Keith Calder.

According to THR, Lionsgate paid between $1 to $2 million for US and Canadian rights to the film. It's still too early for release details, but we'll report back when more information is revealed.