Toronto: Chris Rock’s ‘Top Five’ Sparks Fierce Bidding War

Dealmaking is underway in earnest at the Toronto Film Festival for Chris Rock‘s Top Five and Noah Baumbach‘s While We’re Young, starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried. By Sunday morning, every major distributor was in the mix for Top Five, sources say.

Both films, produced by Scott Rudin and financed by Barry Diller, premiered Saturday night, sparking immediate interest among U.S. distributors. UTA is representing the two films domestically.

Relativity Media, Open Road Films, CBS Films and Lionsgate were among those chasing rights to Top Five, directed by Rock. He stars in the movie opposite Rosario Dawson, with Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld and Kevin Hart making cameos.

Insiders say Top Five, about a comedian trying to reinvent himself as a serious actor just as his reality-TV star fiancee talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her show, is likely to sell for north of $5 million.

Baumbach’s While We’re Young is also likely to nab a high-profile deal. The film follows a married man and woman who question their relationship when a younger couple arrives on the scene. Distributors in the mix for rights to While We’re Young include Fox Searchlight, although Searchlight is gunning for Top Five as well.

Sept. 7, 11:40 a.m. Updated.

Email: Pamela.McClintock@THR.com
Twitter: @PamelaDayM

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