Toronto: Lionsgate Acquires Hot Title Friends With Kids

Exclusive: Deadline’s Mike Fleming virtually called it last Tuesday, then delayed confirmationafter sellers indicated their auction wasn’t a done deal, but Friends With Kids, the hot Toronto Fest premiereromantic comedy co-starring Jennifer Westfeldtwhich shedirected, wrote and co-produced with longtime b.f. Jon Hamm (who also has a supporting role) has indeedofficially sold to Lionsgate, just as Fleming initially reported,according to Westfeldt whobroke the news to me at thelate nightAMC Emmy celebration party that she herself learned halfway through Sunday night’s Emmy ceremony. “The sale just closed while the Emmys were going on. We’re thrilled,” she said even while lamenting Hamm’s fourth consecutive loss as Best Actor in a Drama Series ( Mad Men did win an unprecedented fourth Emmy for Drama Series). The sale certainly makes Hamm’s Emmy loss easier to take as Friends With Kids was one of the hottest titles in Toronto to still be available. Westfeldt isn’t sure but expects a probable spring release for the well-reviewed comedy which contains a breakout performance from Adam Scott in the leading male role and co-stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph , Edward Burns and Megan Fox in addition to Hamm. Millennium and CBS Films were among other suitors for the title and as late as Saturday night I heard Millennium may have been offering a higher figure, but even before the film premiered Lionsgate had its eye on the movie. Westfeldt told me it almost didn’t make its Toronto date due to last minute lab problems but in the end everything worked out.

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