Universal Studios and Focus Features have nabbed distribution rights to Bad Words, the directorial debut for Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. The acquisition comes after the film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The news was first reported earlier this morning by Deadline, which reported that Focus paid around $7 million for the raunchy comedy. Bad Words was represented by Creative Artists Agency and Hicks Professional Law Corporation at the festival and produced by Darko Entertainment, Aggregate Films and MXN.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film earned a positive response from potential buyers after the screening on Friday. It will likely be an R-rated comedy, as Bateman plays a man who discovers a loophole so that he can take part in a kids spelling bee competition. He becomes friends with a young boy of Indian descent and a reporter is following his journey.
Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney and Rohan Chand co-star with Bateman. Andrew Hodge penned the script, which was on the 2011 Hollywood Black List.
Bateman recently teamed up with Universal for Identity Thief, which co-starred Melissa McCarthy.
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