Vertical Entertainment Lands Global Rights To Winona Ryder Thriller ‘The Cow’ Following Bidding War – SXSW:

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has prevailed in a bidding war surrounding SXSW thriller The Cow—landing worldwide rights to the film starring Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) and John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane), and slating it for an exclusive theatrical release later this year.

In the film directed by Homecoming co-creator Eli Horowitz, Kath (Ryder) and her boyfriend (Gallagher Jr.) arrive at a remote cabin in the redwoods, only to discover that a mysterious younger couple is already there. The rental has apparently been double-booked, and with nowhere else to go, they decide to share the cabin with these strangers. When her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, Kath becomes obsessed with finding an explanation for their sudden breakup—but the truth is far stranger than she could have ever imagined.

The Cow also stars Dermot Mulroney (The Courier), Owen Teague (It franchise) and Brianne Tju (47 Meters Down). Horowitz and Matthew Derby wrote the script, with BoulderLight Pictures’ Raphael Margules and JD Lifshitz producing alongside Shaun Sanghani and Russ Posternak, and the Singapore-based mm2 Asia serving as exec producer.

“It was a thrill to watch audiences respond so enthusiastically to The Cow at SXSW, and it’s now an even bigger one to be able to share it with the wider world,” said Horowitz. “I’m very grateful to Vertical for partnering with us on this strange and surprising movie.”

“After a successful partnership on last year’s Spirit Award-nominated Wild Indian, we are delighted to re-team with the supportive and collaborative team at Vertical for the release of this unique film,” said BoulderLight Pictures in a statement. “We’ve always known that Eli and our incredible cast were on to something special – and we are thrilled to be sharing that with the world very soon.”

“We are excited to have landed The Cow out of SXSW,” added Vertical Entertainment Partner Peter Jarowey. “Eli has created captivating thriller anchored by strong performances from an incredible cast led by Winona Ryder. We are also excited to work with BoulderLight Pictures, Shaun and Russ on a project we have been tracking since its infancy.”

Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include Joey Ally’s political comedy, The Hater; the SXSW & Venice prize winner Topside; the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions; and Krystin Ver Linden’s Alice, starring Keke Palmer, Common, Gaius Charles and Jonny Lee Miller, which premiered at Sundance 2022.

Jarowey and Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal for The Cow on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, with CAA Media Finance and Shaun Sanghani of The Syndicate on behalf of the filmmakers.

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