Hulu is nearing an eight-figure acquisition deal for Nutcrackers, a family comedy that opened the Toronto Film Festival. Directed by David Gordon Green, the film stars Ben Stiller, Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, and Toby Hussles. The deal would mark the first major purchase of this year’s festival. Hulu is expected to release the film in time for Christmas.

Produced by Rivulet Films’ Rob Paris and Mike Witherill, along with Rough House’s Nate Meyer, Nutcrackers follows a city-dwelling workaholic, played by Stiller, who relocates to rural Ohio after the sudden death of his sister. There, he becomes the caretaker of her children, who are surprisingly talented ballet dancers. What begins as a temporary arrangement leads to a deeper realization of where he truly belongs.

The film features real-life siblings Homer, Ulysses, Atlas, and Arlo Janson as the children. Shot on the Janson family farm in Ohio, the production took a personal approach, utilizing their house, animals, and dance studio. Green, a longtime friend of their mother, Karey Williams, was inspired to create the story based on the family’s lives.

Nutcrackers received an enthusiastic response from audiences at its Toronto Film Festival premiere marking Stiller’s return to the big screen after seven years. During that time, Stiller focused on producing and directing, notably the Apple TV+ series Severance and the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora, which earned him a Directors Guild of America Award.

The film was fully financed by Rivulet Films, with Rough House developing it. United Talent Agency’s Independent Film Group represents worldwide rights. While deal-making at the Toronto Film Festival has been slow this year, Nutcrackers could be the first of several anticipated sales as the festival progresses.