Mike Fleming

UPDATE: Toldja! IFC (below) has confirmed its Super buy.

EXCLUSIVE FROM TORONTO: In the first major deal since 2010 Toronto began, IFC has captured U.S. rights to Super, the raucous James Gunn-directed film which had several buyers circling since its premiere at Friday’s Midnight Madness low-budget genre program. I’m told it was a seven-figure commitment and happened after an all-night bargaining session. IFC doesn’t usually pay that much for its deals, but there was competition. I heard that Magnolia was among three other bidders vying for the deal brokered by UTA’s Rich Klubeck and WME’s Graham Taylor. The pic rocked the audience in its premiere at the Ryerson Theater. Rainn Wilson plays a wannabe superhero (his power comes from the business end of a plumber’s wrench), Ellen Page as his psycho sidekick, and Kevin Bacon in a hilarious turn as the drug dealer who charms away the superhero’s troubled gal (Liv Tyler).

New York, NY (September 12, 2010) – IFC Films, the leading American distributor of independent and foreign films, announced today that the company has acquired U.S. rights to James Gunn’s shockingly hilarious SUPER after an all-night auction that concluded this morning. IFC Films will release SUPER under its new IFC Midnight banner. SUPER was also written by Gunn, and was produced by Miranda Bailey via her LA-based production company, Ambush Entertainment and Ted Hope, via his Gotham-based production company This is that. Ambush’s financing arm, Cold Iron Pictures, financed the film which was executive-produced by Matthew Leutwyler of Ambush Entertainment and Rainn Wilson. The film which stars Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon, premiered Friday night at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival to tremendous audience response.

Hanway Films is handling international sales and has already sold the film in over 15 foreign territories including: Italy (M2 Pictures), Australia (Village Roadshow), and Scandanavia (Svensk).

In Super, Frank’s (Rainn Wilson) wife leaves him for a seductive, psychopathic drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), Frank is transformed and the Crimson Bolt is born. With a hand-made suit, a wrench, and a crazed sidekick named Boltie (Ellen Page), the Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife (Liv Tyler). The rules were written a long time ago: You are not supposed to molest children, cut lines or key cars; if you do, prepare to face the wrath of the Crimson Bolt!

Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment said, “James Gunn has made one of the most creative and subversive films of the year with an outstanding cast including Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon. This is exactly the kind of film we want the IFC Midnight brand to be associated with.”

“I never had to compromise in the making of this movie and I couldn’t be more excited to have found a distribution partner wanting to embrace the extremities and balls-to-the-walls qualities of SUPER” said James Gunn.

“SUPER is special because it has lots of unique qualities that make it an indie film and we are thrilled IFC Films is releasing it because they are independent cinema and totally get the spirit of the film and what it’s about” said producers Miranda Bailey and Ted Hope.

The deal for Super was negotiated by Arianna Bocco and Betsy Rodgers at IFC Films and by Graham Taylor at WME Global and Rich Klubeck at UTA on behalf of the filmmakers.