Following its premiere at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, Aubrey Plaza’s crime thriller “Emily the Criminal” has been sold to Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment.
The movie is slated to release exclusively in theaters in 2022. Redbox Extertainment has home entertainment rights. An exact release date has not been scheduled yet.
John Patton Ford directed “Emily the Criminal,” a tense story that follows a college graduate (Plaza) saddled with student debt and unable to find a job due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she starts working as a “dummy shopper,” buying TV shows, cars and items that get increasingly riskier, with stolen credit cards. Additional cast members include Theo Rossi (“Army of the Dead”), Megalyn Echikunwoke (“Late Night”) and Gina Gershon (“Blockers”).
The movie played to an overwhelmingly positive reception at Sundance, with many film critics praising Plaza’s lead performance. In Variety’s review, Amy Nicholson described “Emily the Criminal” as a “world-weary social problem fable.”
“Plaza, who also produced the film, is strong as a scammer who invites sympathy and simultaneously pushes it away,” Nicholson wrote.
“John Patton Ford’s propulsive thriller ‘Emily The Criminal’ is a spectacular directing debut with a revelatory performance from Aubrey Plaza as a wildly entertaining antiheroine that recalls Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde,” said Roadside Attractions’ co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.
Vertical Entertainment’s partner and CEO Peter Jarowey added, “When we saw the film, we knew we had to have it. It is an exceptional story that is sure to excite and thrill audiences. We are excited to bring two long-standing collaborators in Roadside and Redbox together on one film that we care so deeply about. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
The filmmakers emphasized their intention to have “Emily the Criminal” available only in theaters.
“We continue to believe in the importance of the theatrical experience and the power of watching movies together on a big screen, and couldn’t be more excited and confident in our stellar partners at Roadside and Vertical to connect our film with audiences everywhere,” they said in a joint statement.
The film was financed by Davidson’s Low Spark Films in association with Fear Knot Productions and produced by Plaza’s Evil Hag Productions and Low Spark. Executive producers were Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Angus Wall, Kent Kubena, Lowell Shapiro, and Mike Dill.
Jarowey negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, Angel An negotiated the deal on behalf of Roadside Attractions, Marc Danon negotiated on behalf of home entertainment rights for Redbox Entertainment and CAA Media Finance, Verve Ventures, and ICM Partners negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
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