The rights to Perfect, a biopic about Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug directed by Olivia Wilde, has been sold to Searchlight Pictures in a $15 Million dollar deal, according to Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Olivia Wilde’s Perfect, which is based on the book Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams by Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug and John P. Lopez, was allegedly one of “the of the hottest scripts on the market” when it sold to Searchlight Pictures for a lucrative $15 million.
- Other suitors included studios like Warner Brothers, Paramount, and HBO Now, with the popular streaming service reportedly offering double the amount but the promise of a theatrical release and the critically-acclaimed and prestigious track record of Searchlight Pictures ended up winning out.
- Wilde recently received accolades and even won an Independent Spirit Award for her directorial debut, Booksmart. She traveled to Berlin to discuss the project with potential buyers.
- The film will follow the true story of Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, who took home the gold medal in gymnastics in 1996 after severely injuring her ankle at the Atlanta games, famously being carried to the medals podium by her team to accept the win.
- No start date has been announced for the production and casting is not yet completed, but reportedly underway.
ICYMI – Searchlight Pictures
- Director Martin McDonagh is currently working on an untitled relationship drama that will be released through Searchlight Pictures and the British based funding and development company Film4.
- Searchlight Pictures has released the official poster and first trailer for the Wes Anderson film, The French Dispatch. The film was acquired by this studio last year and will make its theatrical debut on July 24, 2020