In one of the first major acquisition deals ahead of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Searchlight Pictures has acquired the worldwide rights to “Fresh,” a thriller from director Mimi Cave that stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan.
Searchlight acquired the film to premiere exclusively as an original film on Hulu in the U.S., and the film will drop on the streamer on March 4 following its Sundance premiere later this month. It will also premiere internationally later this spring on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories.
“Fresh” follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and – given her frustration with dating apps – takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.
“Fresh” marks the feature directorial debut of Cave. It’s produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick for their Hyperobject Industries banner, and Lauryn Kahn wrote the script. Maeve Cullinane is the co-producer.
Jojo T. Gibbs (“Twenties”), Charlotte Le Bon (“Anthropoid,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”), Andrea Bang (“Luce”) and Dayo Okeniyi (“Runner Runner,” “The Spectacular Now”) round out the cast. The crafts team includes cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski (“Hereditary,” “Midsommar”), editor Martin Pensa (“Wild,” “Dallas Buyers Club”), production designer Jennifer Morden (“Riot Girls”) and composer Alex Somers (“Honey Boy,” “Captain Fantastic”).
“’Fresh’ upends all romance tropes and boldly comments on the precarious nature of the modern dating experience,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a statement. “Mimi Cave has brilliantly brought Lauryn Kahn’s razor sharp script to the screen, and gives audiences something they will savor from beginning to end.”
“’Fresh’ is a wildly allegorical story, yet the film carries strings of truth throughout that I hope resonate for different audiences,” Cave added. “I’m so pleased to be working with the Searchlight team to bring our film to the world and can’t wait for people to see the brilliant performances Daisy and Sebastian give.”
Ben Wilkinson, VP Business Affairs negotiated the deal for Searchlight Pictures with Michael Ross for Legendary Entertainment.