After 2011’s Oscar-winning “The Descendants,” Alexander Payne is looking for a little extra help in getting his follow-up feature “Nebraska” to the screen. The road trip flick starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte is seeking a supplement to its financing by shopping its international distribution rights. Paramount is distributing the film domestically, but FilmNation has reportedly already struck a number of key deals on behalf of Payne to get the film in front of more international audiences. [THR]
Xavier Dolan’s “Laurence Anyways” has been proving somewhat of a festival hit throughout the year, but now it has finally picked up U.S. distribution. The film made its bow at Cannes and now Breaking Glass Pictures have finally inked a deal which will see them handle the picture’s domestic distribution. The film will be released theatrically over in the U.K. next month, while there’s no new yet on how Breaking Glass whether a similar limited release will be afforded to the French language film in the U.S. [Variety]
Christopher Plummer won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar earlier this year, and now there’s a suggestion that he might be in the hunt to go one better and nab the Best Actor award next time around. This follows on from his role in Erik Canuel’s biopic “Barrymore” having been announced to be getting an Oscar-qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles theatres on November 15th. Plummer won a Tony back in the Nineties for his performance in the same role, and the film which debuted at TIFF in 2011 is, for most of the running time, pretty much a one-man show. One to keep an eye on in the run up to awards season, certainly. [THR]
And finally, Kino Lorber has secured the North American distribution rights to Jacob Hatley’s documentary “Ain’t in it for My Health: A Film about Levon Helm.” The doc was shot over two years and focuses on Helm, who died in April this year, recording his first studio album in 26 years following a resurgence of popularity late in his career. Expect to see the film released in theatres in early 2013, followed by VOD, home video, television and other digital distribution next summer. [Variety]