Saban Films just announced that they have acquired North American rights to Richard Bates Jr.’s horror thriller Tone-Deaf. The film stars Robert Patrick (“Scorpion,” Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and Amanda Crew (“Silicon Valley,” Table 19), and is produced by Circle of Confusion’s Lawrence Mattis, Brad Mendelsohn and Matt Smith, and Best Medicine Productions’ Brion Hambel and Paul Jensen. Tone-Deaf will debut its world premiere at SXSW Film Fest 2019.
Tone-Deaf follows millennial Olive (Crew) who, after losing her job and imploding her latest dysfunctional relationship, leaves the city for a weekend of peace in the country, only to discover the shockingly dark underbelly of rural America. She rents an eccentric, ornate country house from Harvey (Patrick), an old-fashioned widower who’s struggling to hide his psychopathic tendencies. Soon two generations collide with terrifying results in this home invasion horror film that is also a darkly comedic critique of the bizarre cultural and political climate that currently exists.
Saban Films negotiated the deal along with Steve Break on behalf of the filmmakers. Lightning Entertainment’s James C. Walker and Andrew Brown and Hindsight Media’s James Swarbrick executive produced along with James Scott, Tim Smith and Tracey McCarrick.
Out of Sundance, Saban Films most recently announced their partnership with Kevin Smith’s highly-anticipated Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, coming on board from script stage for the sequel to the 2001 comedyJay and Silent Bob Strike Back. The company remains active in the acquisition and distribution space, with upcoming titles including: The Haunting of Sharon Tate starring Hilary Duff; Derrick Borte’s American Dreamer starring Jim Gaffigan; The Professor, the Wayne Roberts-directed drama starring Johnny Depp; and Sarah Daggar-Nickson’s A Vigilante starring Olivia Wilde.
Saban Films continues to grow its presence in the industry, with successes that have run the gamut from critically acclaimed theatrical films such as The Homesman starring Hilary Swank, to one of the biggest Fathom events in 2016 with Rob Zombie’s horror thriller 31. Recent titles include James Marsh’s King of Thieves starring Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon; the anthology Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Jim Sturgess; the Gerard Butler starrer The Vanishing; Alexandre Moors’ The Yellow Birds starring Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston; Eshom and Ian Nelms’ lauded feature Small Town Crime starring John Hawkes and Octavia Spencer; and Ivan Kavanagh’s Never Grow Old starring John Cusack and Emile Hirsch.
