Just as it did with the Ellen Page movie “Tallulah” earlier this week, Netflix is nearing a deal to acquire worldwide SVOD rights to the Paul Rudd film “The Fundamentals of Caring” in advance of its Sundance debut, an individual with knowledge of the deal has told TheWrap.
Netflix’s deals for “Fundamentals of Caring” and “Tallulah” do not include theatrical rights, meaning the streaming service will have to partner with a distributor that doesn’t have an output deal.
Both deals are believed to be in the mid-seven-figure range, a fair price for a pair of titles featuring A-list stars in Rudd and Page.
Rob Burnett, a longtime veteran of “Late Show With David Letterman,” wrote and directed “The Fundamentals of Caring,” which is based on the 2013 novel by Jonathan Evison. Burnett also produced the film with Donna Gigliotti and James Spies while Jamal Daniel and Renee Witt executive produced.
“Fundamentals of Caring” stars Rudd as a man who becomes a caregiver to a teenager with muscular dystrophy, played by Craig Roberts. They embark on a road trip and along the way, they become friends and meet a young woman played by Selena Gomez.
“Fundamentals of Caring” will debut at Sundance on Jan. 29. The Netflix deal was negotiated by Burnett and Rudd’s respective representatives at CAA and UTA.