Virgil Films has acquired North American rights to the Miles Doleac-directed musical-comedy-thriller OPEN with plans to release this Fall. The film, written by Doleac and frequent collaborator, Lindsay Anne Williams, and produced by Doleac, Williams, and Elena Sanchez, tells the story of a woman in a troubled marriage who falls for a former TV star, who’s fallen from industry favor, while having nagging (and empowering) hallucinations about fronting an 80’s new wave band. The film stars Jeremy London, Williams, Doleac, Sanchez, and William Forsythe.
Says Doleac on the acquisition, “We’re ecstatic to partner with Virgil to kick OPEN out into the world. Joe Amodei and his team have a reputation for being selective and really caring about the films they take on and that’s what matters most to us. We wanted a distributor who’d be a true collaborator and who believes in this bonkers vision as much as we do. We believe Virgil is committed to that.”
Says producer/star Elena Sanchez, “OPEN has been one of the wildest projects I’ve ever been a part of. Helping Miles and Lindsay bring their vision to life was a fantastic experience, not to mention, working with William Forsythe was a career highlight for me. I’m excited to work with the team at Virgil to release our film.”
Joe Amodei, President of Virgil Films, says “Audiences are in for a real treat with this film. What Miles and his team created is something so fresh and unique that it’s sure going to leave fans very satisfied.”
One of the most unique elements of OPEN are its musical numbers, an homage to 80’s new wave and beyond, the music Doleac grew up with. “What can I say, these songs are my youth and I had incredible partners in the creation of them.” Doleac co-wrote OPEN’s original songs with Williams, composer Clifton Hyde, and Oliver Hofer. Of the musical element, Williams says “Everybody kinda wants to be a rock star as a kid … or longer. We took that idea and ran with it. Our lead gets to live out that fantasy in her head, while simultaneously wading through the complex stakes in her personal life. That stuff was so much fun to create both from a musical and story perspective.”
Says star Jeremy London, “I really think it’s our own ROCKY HORROR [PICTURE SHOW]. The thing is so unique. The songs are infectious. I can hear audiences singing along.”
OPEN will release in November with a small theatrical combined with digital release. The soundtrack will be released simultaneously on limited edition vinyl.
The deal was negotiated between Jeff Cooper of Cut Entertainment and Joe Amodei of Virgil.
About Virgil Films : Virgil Films & Entertainment was founded in 2003 by Joe Amodei to acquire, and distribute feature films, documentaries, and original episodic television series. Over the years Virgil has enjoyed partnerships with Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, Pure Flix Entertainment, Vancouver based Network Entertainment, Major League Baseball Productions, Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets, OWN and other high-profile entertainment brands. Their feature films have been available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, AppleTV +, Hulu, Vudu, Google Play, HBO, Starz, Showtime and many other digital and TV networks. Virgil Films releases include the Oscar-nominated documentary Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me; the critically acclaimed best-selling Forks Over Knives; and the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo and its sequel Korengal. They have also released the entertaining I Am Chris Farley, I am Heath Ledger, Trafficked, Code Blue, Ruth and the holiday classic The Real Bedford Falls. Clarence Clemons, Who Do I Think I Am was their first in house production which followed their successful five-episode documentary series Happy Jail which was a co-production with Netflix. Follow them on twitter: @virgilfilms
