Although the Sundance Film Festival doesn’t kick off until Jan. 19, the acquisition market is already heating up: A24 on Sunday claimed worldwide rights to David Lowery’s A Ghost Story, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Filmed under the radar, the supernatural tale, which is set to premiere Jan. 22 in the festival’s offbeat Next sidebar, stars Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. Affleck plays what the fest program describes as “a spectral figure” who returns to his former home to watch over his grief-stricken lover, played by Mara.
Lowery, whose Ain’t Them Bodies Saints played at the 2013 festival, most recently directed Disney’s Pete’s Dragon. He also wrote A Ghost Story, which, according to sources, A24 acquired sight unseen. The film is produced by Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston and Adam Donaghey.
WME Global repped the deal.
In other pre-festival activity, Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the coming-of-age tale Call Me by Your Name, while Netflix has acquired the documentary Casting JonBenet.
