In the first major deal to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Searchlight Pictures has acquired A Real Pain, directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, according to Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Eisenberg (The Social Network) stars in A Real Pain alongside new Emmy-winner Kieran Culkin (Succession) as mismatched cousins David and Benji. They reunite for a tour of Poland to honor their grandmother, but older tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family’s history.
- Also starring in A Real Pain are:
- Jennifer Grey (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
- Will Sharpe (The White Lotus)
- Kurt Egyiawan (Beasts of No Nation)
- Liza Sadovy (A Small Light)
- Daniel Oreskes (Only Murders in the Building)
- The film is produced by Topic and Fruit Tree, with Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Ewa Puszczynska, Jennifer Semler, Eisenberg and Emma Stone.
- Searchlight Pictures handed over $10 million for the worldwide distribution rights to the film.
- A Real Pain will reportedly get a big theatrical release later this year.
What They’re Saying:
- Searchlight Presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum: “We are blown away by Jesse’s vision and craft in telling this hilarious and profound film. He tells a deeply personal story and makes it universal. We can’t wait to bring it to audiences around the world.”
- Jesse Eisenberg: “Making A Real Pain was a true labor of love, and it has been so thrilling to premiere at Sundance. I couldn’t be more honored to work with Searchlight and to bring this story to a wider audience.”
- Ryan Heller, EVP of Film and Documentary at Topic Studios: “We could not be more proud of Jesse and this beautiful film, and are absolutely thrilled to re-team with David, Matthew and our friends at Searchlight on its release.”
- Fruit Tree in a joint statement: “We are the utmost believers in Jesse as a creative voice and were thrilled to collaborate again on his second film with such ambitious scope and themes. To have another friend and beloved collaborator on board in Kieran Culkin was more than we can ask for, as working with the amazing team at Searchlight.”