2016 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Andy Goddard’s A Kind of Murder

Climbing up the ranks with mostly writing and directing television gigs (this includes a handful of “Downton Abbey” episodes), Andy Goddard flew under the radar with the release of this debut film, a set in the 50’s biopic item featuring Elijah Wood called Set Fire to the Stars (read our review) which had a ’14 festival release and was shown in the U.S. this past summer. With Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Haley Bennett, Vincent Kartheiser and Eddie Marsan onboard, his sophomore film will undoubtedly gain a lot more traction. With all the award season hype surrounding Todd Haynes’ Carol, not all of Patricia Highsmith’s work as panned out into winners — for every The Talented Mr. Ripley there are several failed adaptation attempts. Backed by a pair of key indie titan producers, previously entitled The Blunderer and now anointed as A Kind of Murder, this wrapped up a good while back in December of 2014 in the same city (Cincinnati) where Carol was filmed. The added value here is that it’s a thriller item, of another era and high value Premieres item sans a distributer on board.

Gist: Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, set in 1960s New York, Walter Stackhouse is a successful architect married to the beautiful Clara who leads a seemingly perfect life. But his fascination with an unsolved murder leads him into a spiral of chaos as he is forced to play cat-and-mouse with a clever killer and an overambitious detective, while at the same time lusting after another woman.

Production Co./Producers: Killer Films’ Christine Vachon (Carol), Ted Hope (Dark Horse) and Susan Boyd. Executive producers: Darren M. Demetre, David Hinojosa, John Jencks, Kelly McCormick, Nick Meyer, Alexa Seligman, Joe Simpson, Jay Taylor.

Prediction: A valuable acquisitions title and the star wattage could make this a Premieres category event.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). Sierra Affinity (international)

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