XLrator Media has acquired U.S. rights to Wrecker, a horror thriller that it will put out via its Macabre genre label in the summer. The pic starring Anna Hutchison and Drea Whitburn is the latest tie-up between XLrator and producer IndustryWorks Pictures, who teamed on the just-released slasher movie American Mary. Michael Bafaro directed Wrecker, and Evan Tylor, John Curtis and Don Knodel produced. IndustryWorks will release it in Canada and is selling the international rights at AFM. The story follows best friends Emily and Lesley as they take a road trip to a music festival in the desert. But they find themselves pursued by a seemingly psychotic truck driver, who forces them to play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Vega, Baby! Releasing has acquired North American rights to Ghoul, a horror film co-written and directed by Petr Jákl. A 2015 multiplatform release is planned. The pic follows three Americans who travel to the Ukraine to investigate how cannibalism swept through the country during the notorious famine of 1932. Their travels lead to a face-to-face encounter with the evil spirit of the most violent serial killer and cannibal of all time. J.B.J. Film produced, and Rob Cohen, Joe Lynch and Luke Rivett are executive producers. The deal with Traction Media was one of the first for the output arm of Vega, Baby, a feature film finance and production company that debuted at AFM 2013. In August, it added the boutique North American acquisitions and distribution unit to its LA-based operation.Highland Film Group has sold a slew of territories including U.S. rights to Starz Media’s Anchor Bay Entertainment on the family Christmas movie Shelby starring Chevy Chase, Tom Arnold and Rob Schneider. The latter voices a mischievous orphan dog who escapes from the local pound and finds himself in the home of a young wannabe magician and his grandfather (Chase), with a dogcatcher hot on his tail. The Fyzz Facility fully developed the project and financed it with Canadian producers Naked Fury and Outpost Media. Wayne Marc Godfrey, David Gilbery and Robert Jones executive produced.
