RLJ Entertainment nabs Dave Bautista’s Sundance thriller “Bushwick”

PanARMENIAN.Net - RLJ Entertainment has bought U.S. theatrical rights to the Dave Bautista-Brittany Snow thriller “Bushwick” for at least $1 million following the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Variety said.

The movie, directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott (“Cooties”), follows Snow’s character, who discovers that her Brooklyn neighborhood is under attack by black-clad soldiers. Bautista plays an ex-Marine corpsman, who reluctantly helps her fight for survival through a civil war as Texas attempts to secede from the United States of America.

Variety‘s Geoff Berkshire said in his Sundance review, “Even if the low-budget execution is uneven at times, there’s enough snap to the filmmaking, and enough raw power in the premise, to make for solid B-movie excitement. A surprisingly potent performance from professional wrestler (and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ co-star) Dave Bautista should add to the appeal for a young male audience.”

“Bushwick” is based on a script by Nick Damici and Graham Reznick, from a story by Murnion and Milott. The film was produced by Nate Bolotin, Bullet Pictures’ Adam Folk, and Joseph Mensch of Mensch Productions. Bautista, Jonathan Meisner, Nick Spicer, and Todd Brown executive produced.

Bolotin brokered the deal on behalf of XYZ Films alongside WME Global. Mark Ward and Jess De Leo negotiated on behalf of RLJ Entertainment.

RLJ Entertainment’s recent feature films include “Bone Tomahawk,” starring Kurt Russell; Jackie Earle Haley’s “Criminal Activities” with John Travolta, Michael Pitt, and Dan Stevens; “The Cobbler” toplined by Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi; and “Nina,” starring Zoe Saldana and David Oyelowo.

XYZ’s current slate includes “Apostle,” starring Stevens; “I Kill Giants,” which stars Saldana, Imogen Poots, and Madison Wolfe; and “Brawl in Cell Block 99” with Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson.