It’s a feast of acquisitions at Sundance. The latest to be snapped up is Hunt for the Wilderpeople for which The Orchard now has North American rights, according to Deadline.
The film premiered friday night at the Eccles Theater at Sundance’s Premieres Section. Written and directed by Kiwi filmmaker/actor/comedian Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows), it stars relative newcomer Julian Dennison as rebellious foster care boy, and Sam Neill (The Daughter) as his uncle who together go on the run in the New Zealand bush. The story is a funny, heartwarming survival tale involving a national manhunt for the missing two. The film reunites Waititi with several cast members of his 2014 What We Do in the Shadows vampire comedy, including Dennison, Cohen Holloway, and Mike Minogue. Rachel House (TV’s Soul Mates), Oscar Kightley (TV’s Harry), Rima Te Wiata (Housebound), and Stan Walker (Born To Dance) round out the cast.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is produced by Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Waititi, and Matt Noonan.
The Orchard’s 2015 Sundance acquisitions included the controversial Nasty Baby, Joe Swanberg’s Digging for Fire, and the critically-praised sex comedy The Overnight.
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