UPDATED: Bidding War Under Way for Joe Carnahan’s The Grey

Steve Barton   |  

Jul 13, 2011

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Earlier today a 30-minute reel of Joe Carnahan’s survival film The Grey was shown to distributors, and at least a half dozen of them are engaged in a bidding war. Complicating matters even further is the fact that the filmmakers are insisting The Grey be released later this year

According to Deadline the distributors involved include Warner Bros., Open Road, Summit, Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company, and FilmDistrict, several of whom already have crowded late-year release schedules. This could give an edge to a distributor like Tom Ortenberg’s Open Road, which is looking for exactly this kind of wide-release film.

Expect someone to come out on top shortly; we’ll update the story once final word comes.

UPDATE: Deadline now reports that Open Road is in the final stages of acquiring U.S. rights to The Grey, and it’s shaping up to be a “whopper of a deal”. The numbers they are hearing are in the $8 million minimum guarantee range with a $25 million P&A commitment and a gross corridor built in. No confirmation from Open Road yet, but Deadline seems pretty sure the deal could be sealed by this evening (Friday, July 15). Stay tuned for the final, final word soon!

The Grey concerns an oil-drilling team struggling to survive in the wilds of Alaska after their plane crashes smack in the middle of a territorial rogue wolf pack. Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, James Badge Dale, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Nonso Anozie, and Joe Anderson star in the co-production of 1984 Films and Scott Free Productions.

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