#horror – #PressRelease – #NightDriver – #Cineverse – #JoshLucas – #AlyssaMilano – #DavidArquette –
Screamfest Premiere Leads to a Distribution Deal for Jeremy Weiss’ Feature Debut
Cineverse has secured North American rights to The Night Driver, the first feature from director Jeremy Weiss, as first reported by Deadline. The distributor behind the Terrifier films came out ahead of other interested buyers after the movie premiered at Screamfest, acquiring the rights from VMI International.
Josh Lucas leads the cast as Hurdis Matheson, a pharmaceutical sales rep who lives on the road. After he makes it through an encounter with a deranged murderer, all he wants is to get back to his wife, Cheryl, played by Alyssa Milano, and the rest of his family. Instead, the killer keeps hunting him from state to state and pins a string of murders on him, turning Hurdis into the target of a manhunt that spans the country. David Arquette plays Detective Granger, the investigator left to clear Hurdis’ name. Charlotte Kirk, Elieen Deetz, Danielle Vasinova and Gina La Piana round out the ensemble.
John Cork wrote the screenplay, which has also been released as a graphic novel under the same title. Andre Relis, Jib Polhemus and Jessica Russo produced, with Bondit Media Capital providing the financing. Sean S. Cunningham, the filmmaker behind the Friday the 13th franchise, is among the executive producers, alongside Matthew Helderman, Grady Craig, Luke Taylor, Daniel Pike, Kevin Glynn, BJ Hendricks and James Rundquist.
Russo, who serves as VMI’s COO of productions and acquisitions, worked out the agreement with Dan Fisher, Cineverse’s vice president of acquisitions. VMI Worldwide CEO Andre Relis pointed to Cineverse’s genre track record, including the Terrifier series, as the reason the company is the right home for the film. Cineverse, for its part, singled out Lucas’ performance and Weiss’ work behind the camera, calling the movie “reminiscent of horror classics like The Hitcher,” per Deadline.
Director: Jeremy Weiss
Writer: John Cork
Cast: Josh Lucas, Alyssa Milano, David Arquette, Charlotte Kirk, Elieen Deetz, Danielle Vasinova, Gina La Piana
Distributor: Cineverse
Release: Not yet announced
Source: Information and confirmation via Deadline’s reporting.