First Toronto Deal: Grindstone & Roadside Attractions Land US Rights To ‘Riff Raff’ Before Friday TIFF Premiere; Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson Star

EXCLUSIVE: In advance of its Friday Toronto Film Festival World Premiere, the Dito Montiel-directed Riff Raff has been acquired for US rights by Grindstone Entertainment Group and Roadside Attractions which made the deal with Signature Films and Canopy Media Partners. Roadside Attractions plans a domestic theatrical release of 750 theaters minimum, for later this year.

Scripted by John Pollono (Stronger), the film centers on a former criminal whose ordinary life is thrown upside down when his family shows up for a long-awaited reckoning. The cast includes Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus), Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding), Gabrielle Union (The Inspection), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Emanuela Postacchini (Robots), Miles J. Harvey (American Vandal), Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), and Bill Murray (Ghostbusters).

Signature Films, which is handling international sales on the title, has closed territory deals in Italy (Maestro Distribution), Scandinavia (Scanbox), the Middle East (Phoenicia), Eastern Europe (ProRom), Poland (Kino Siwiat), Taiwan (MovieCloud), airline rights (CineSky), Commonwealth of Independent States (MGN), Greece (Tanweer), Portugal (Lusomundo) and Turkey (Vagon). Signature will distribute the film in the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Deal was confirmed to Deadline and the backers sound excited.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with our friends at Roadside Attractions to bring US audiences this hilarious crime comedy,” said Grindstone President and CEO Barry Brooker.

Roadside Attractions co-presidents Eric d’Arbeloff and Howard Cohen added, “This movie is the kind of fun and very uncouth caper comedy we haven’t seen in theaters in a very long time. It has such great performances with an all-star cast and it’s going to pop on the big screen.”

Canopy Media Partners’ Noah Rothman (Small Engine Repair), Signature Films’ Marc Goldberg and Sarah Gabriel (The Estate), and Adam Paulsen (Pig, On The Count of Three)are producing the film. Executive Producers include David Sullivan, John Pollono, Chris Dennis for Canopy Media Partners, Capstone’s Christian Mercuri, and Patrick Hibler and Patrick Muldoon from Storyboard Media.