A24, DirecTV Nab Worldwide Rights to Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Hot Summer Nights’ (EXCLUSIVE)

VARIETY – A24 and DirecTV have acquired worldwide rights to “Hot Summer Nights,” Variety has learned.

The thriller is described as “fun and sexy” and stars Timothée Chalamet, currently generating Oscar buzz for “Call Me by Your Name,” as a teenager whose drug dealing lands him in a world of trouble. Chalamet’s character’s headaches are exacerbated after he enters into an illicit affair with his new partner’s seductive sister. “Hot Summer Nights” is set in Cape Cod.

The film is produced by Imperative Entertainment. In addition to Chalamet, it stars Maika Monroe (“It Follows”), Alex Roe (“Rings”), and Maia Mitchell (“Teen Beach Movie”), with appearances by Emory Cohen (“Brooklyn”), Thomas Jane (“Deep Blue Sea”), and William Fichtner (“Crash”). The film marks Elijah Bynum’s directorial debut.

The sale came out of the Toronto International Film Festival, where Chalamet in on hand for the premiere of “Call Me by Your Name” and Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.” Both films are critically acclaimed. Chalamet is also starring in Woody Allen’s next project and will appear opposite Christian Bale in “Hostiles.”

A24’s releases include last year’s best picture winner “Moonlight,” “Room,” and “The Witch.”

“Hot Summer Nights” will debut in 2018, and will play in theaters and on DirecTV. The producers are Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin, and Ryan Friedkin. WME Global brokered the sale on behalf of Imperative.

Maika Monroe, Timothee Chalamet & Alex Roe To Topline ‘Hot Summer Nights’

DEADLINE – EXCLUSIVE: Maika Monroe, who starred in the Sundance 2015 horror pic It Follows, will star opposite Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar) and Alex Roe (The 5th Wave) in Imperative Entertainment’s Hot Summer Nights, the coming-of-age drama pic set in 1991 Cape Cod. This is the 2013 Blacklist script from Elijah Bynum about a teenager whose life spirals out of control when he befriends the town rebel, falls in love, and gets entangled in a drug ring all during one hot, stormy summer.

Bynum is making his directorial debut on the pic, which is targeting an August production start. Imperative’s Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin are producing, and Peter Farrelly and Casey Mott are executive producing.

Imperative has been busy: The group formed last year by Friedkin, Thomas, Zak Kadison and Tim Kring are producing NBC’s upcoming series Heroes Reborn and on the film side is financing and producing the adaptation of E. Lockhart’s bestselling YA novel We Were Liars. They just set set Nicholl Fellowship winner Stephanie Shannon to adapt.

Monroe and Roe are repped by WME and Luber Roklin. Chalamet is repped by UTA and attorney Lev Ginsburg.