Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to the Sundance comedy “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass,” the company announced Friday.
Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery and Ben Wang star in the David Wain feature. The script was written by Ken Marino and Wain.
The comedy premiered to rave reviews at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The deal marks the studio’s fourth acquisition out of this year’s festival.
The official synopsis reads: “Small town hairdresser Gail Daughtry is engaged to her devoted high school sweetheart, Tom. Her life takes a turn when a trip to a book signing leads to Tom meeting – and sleeping – with his “celebrity pass.” Reeling from the betrayal, Gail impulsively joins her friend Otto on a trip to Los Angeles, where a psychic convinces Gail that the only way to save her marriage is to “even the scales” with her own celebrity pass: Jon Hamm. Thus begins an epic journey through Tinseltown as Gail and Otto join forces with a talent agency assistant, a paparazzo, and actor John Slattery, all in the search for Hamm. Along the way, they collide with celebrities and are hunted by a group of Italian assassins as they get ever closer to finding the elusive star.”
In his review of the film, TheWrap’s Matt Donato wrote: “It’s nuttier than a Snickers bar, tapping into a lighthearted brand of humor that doesn’t exist in Hollywood right now. Nothing about ‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ should work, and yet, it’s a breath of fresh air in a stale genre that needs goofballs like Wain and Marino to drag us down to their corny yet belly-laughing level.”
The film is produced by Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, David Wain, Crystine Zhang, and Charles Zhong. Executive producers include Robert Herjavec, Chechen Dong, Tom Griffin, Amanda Chang, Adrian Politowski, Jamie Canniffe, Franny Baldwin, Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, and John Slattery.
“I think we’re all hungry to have more movies in theaters that are designed to provide laughter and joy, first and foremost — and I can’t wait for audiences to experience this very first chapter in the GDU (Gail Daughtry Universe)!” Wain said in a statement.
“To have our film embraced by Sony Pictures Classics, a company that has championed visionary filmmakers for decades, is incredibly special. I am deeply grateful for their passion and support and excited to work together on this,” producer Zhang added.
“’Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ is the most hilarious comedy we have seen in ages with one of the most incredible and surprising indie casts any film could ask for. In a time when audiences need to smile, David Wain has delivered an entertainment that will have audiences’ cheeks hurting from all their laughs,” Sony Pictures Classics added.
The deal was brokered between Sony Pictures Classics and WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
Deadline first reported the news.
