Open Road has snapped up U.S. rights to Jake Gyllenhaal’s upcoming crime drama Nightcrawler for $4.5 million following a spirited bidding war.
The movie, now completed, sparked keen interest among domestic distributors on the ground at the Cannes Film Market. The Weinstein Co. and Focus Features were also in the bidding, with A24 Films and Fox Searchlight circling.
Nightcrawler marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Dan Gilroy. Rene Russo, Gilroy’s wife, and Bill Paxton co-star in the movie. Tony Gilroy and Jennifer Fox are producing with Gyllenhaal.
“We are thrilled to re-team with Jake Gyllenhaal, with whom we shared great success on End Of Watch,” Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg said in a statement. “Dan and Tony Gilroy are incredibly talented and have made a fantastic film and we couldn’t be happier about adding Nightcrawlers to our slate.”
