'Happened' may find home at Magnolia

May 27, 2008 2929 Prods. is setting a backup plan to distribute what was once hyped as the biggest potential sale of the Sundance Festival, the Cannes closer "What Just Happened?" through its Wagner/Cuban Co.'s sister outfit, Magnolia Pictures. Barry Levinson's portrait of a movie producer (Robert De Niro) featured such a high-wattage ensemble cast (Bruce Willis, Robin Wright Penn, Stanley Tucci and Cannes jury head Sean Penn) and was so hot at January's Sundance fest that CAA and Cinetic Media argued over who was selling it, with CAA claiming it was a co-rep deal and Cinetic claiming sole sales rights. 2929 Prods. has been pushing hard for an outside distributor, and there is a slim chance they may come through with one later this week, but the outfit fell on a similar backup plan at last fall's Toronto Film Festival, when interest in its $12 million-range Uma Thurman drama "In Bloom" failed to catch fire.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.