Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced today that the company has acquired worldwide distribution rights to first-time writer/director Geremy Jasper’s infectious hip hop debut film Patti Cake$, starring Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Cathy Moriarty, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, McCaul Lombardi, Sahr Ngaujah, Wass Stevens, and MC Lyte. USA Today reports the deal being for a huge $10.5 million after a fierce Sundance Film Festival bidding war.
Patti Cake$ introduces Australian native Danielle Macdonald in a breakout role, as aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$. Fighting an unlikely quest for glory in her downtrodden hometown in Jersey where her life is falling apart, Patti tries to reach the big time in the hip hop scene with original and affecting music. Cheered on by her grandmother (Cathy Moriarty) and only friends, Jheri (Siddharth Dhananjay) and Basterd (Mamoudou Athie), Patti also shoulders her mother’s (Bridget Everett) heartaches and misfortunes.
The film is an RT Features, Stay Gold Features, Maiden Voyage Pictures presentation of a Department of Motion Pictures production. It is the new company’s first feature film. Patti Cake$ is produced by Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Chris Columbus, with Lourenço Sant’Anna, Sophie Mas, Eleanor Columbus, Josh Penn, Jonathan Bronfman, Lon Molnar, Fernando Fraiha, and Bill Benenson serving as executive producers. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be released in 2017.
“Geremy Jasper has created a personal and specific story which resonates universally and is very entertaining. Patti Cake$, brought to life by Danielle Macdonald, is a singular, lovable, and highly talented character for whom we root hard. We are proud to bring this beautiful film to the world,” said Utley and Gilula.
“Patti Cake$ is a true labor of love made by a team of people with so much creativity, care, and passion. Sundance finally got to meet Patti AKA Killa P AKA Danielle MacDonald and now Fox Searchlight will make sure the world does too. We could not be in better hands,” said director Geremy Jasper.
“We knew from our experience with ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ that Fox Searchlight was the perfect place to introduce the world to an incredible heroine like Patti, and a fiercely talented filmmaker like Geremy,” said producer Michael Gottwald.
The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlight’s Executive Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Ray Strache, with CAA and WME Global on behalf of the filmmakers.
