News

Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Ireland rights to the Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island”) horror film ”The Home” from Miramax.

The feature was produced by Bill Block (“Halloween Kills”) and Sébastian K. Lemercier (“The First Purge”) and is directed by James DeMonaco (“The Purge” franchise) from a script co-written by DeMonaco and Adam Cantor. Last year Lionsgate bought the film for the U.S. after it screened for buyers outside of competition at the Toronto Film Festival.

“The Home” follows former foster child Max, who begins working at a retirement home, where he quickly discovers that its residents and caretakers are harboring sinister secrets.

The deal was negotiated between Signature chief commercial officer Elizabeth Williams and Miramax’s senior vice president of international production and distribution Yvette Zhuang.

“We’re big fans of horror at Signature Entertainment and after seeing ‘The Home,’ we knew this...

Two Saturday Night Live legends, Pete Davidson and Eddie Murphy, are joining forces for The Pickup, an upcoming comedy directed by Tim Story. The project hails from Amazon MGM Studios, with plot details remaining a mystery. Smoke on the street says The Pickup is a heist comedy with a script by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows.

In addition to his directorial duties, Story produces through his The Story Company banner, with Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox, and Murphy and Charisse Hewitt-Webster via Eddie Murphy Productions. The Story Company’s Vicky Mara Story, Davis Entertainment’s Jeremy Stein, and Kevin Burrows, Ross Fanger, and Matt Mider executive produce.

When he’s not the subject of paparazzi fodder or changing dating partners like fresh pairs of underwear, Davidson appears in films like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Fast X, Dumb Money, and Good Burger 2. He recently completed his role for The Home.

Exclusive: Lionsgate has closed a U.S. deal for The Home, the James DeMonaco-directed thriller that stars Pete Davidson. The film was made be Miramax, and it screened for buyers outside competition at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival in the Industry Selects category that the festival started to highlight commercial films.

If you’ve been scoring from home, this goes down as another deal from TIFF 2023. After a slow start, the festival has led to a wellspring of film deals, one of the fest’s strongest showings in years.

The deal closed after the exit last week of Miramax CEO Bill Block, who made the film and placed it at TIFF. On the Lionsgate side was Charlotte Koh, EVP Acquisitions and Co-Productions, along with the film’s producers, Block and Sebastian K. Lemercier. Look for this one to get a theatrical release in the early part of 2024.

Deal comes right...