Sundance Deal Round-Up: Flurry Of Weekend Activity (VAR, DH, BIZ, SCR)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Moore

A round-up of Sundance deal activity over the weekend follows:

Opening weekend saw deals and offers blanket the event, though no one is expecting a blizzard of activity equal to last year's. Buyers tell Variety that while deals are getting done, last year's feeding frenzy has given way to caution. (VAR).

Still, CBS Films paid a reported $3.5 million for "The Words" starring Bradley Cooper. (DH).

And, Ben Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild" has five distributors circling: Fox Searchlight, the Weinstein Co., Sony Pictures Classics, Oscilloscope Films and IFC Films. (BIZ).

Following Sony Pictures Classics' deal for North American rights to Malik Bendjelloul's "Searching for Sugar Man," UK rights have gone to StudioCanal while Madman will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Protagonist is handling international sales. (SCR).

HBO and producer Scott Rudin have acquired remake rights to "Indie Game: The Movie," a documentary by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky that premiered in Sundance on Saturday afternoon. Rudin will develop the film as a fictional half-hour comedy series for HBO and he will be executive producer. (DH).

Upstart LD Entertainment took North American on "Black Rock" in a reported 7 figure deal. Directed by Katie Aselton and written Mark Duplass, film stars Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell and Aselton. (DH).

**This article was compiled using reports from Variety, Deadline, Risky Business and Screen. The original stories can be accessed by clicking the hyperlinks in the text above.