“Red Lights” gets sales greenlight

But producers won’t offer it to U.S. until complete

The producers of helmer Rodrigo Cortes’ paranormal thriller “Red Lights,” starring Robert de Niro and Sigourney Weaver, are holding off on a U.S. deal until it’s complete — but Santa-Monica-based Parlay Films has already inked a slew of deals.
Pic has sold to Canada and the U.K. via Alliance Films and its British arm Momentum Pictures; to Metropolitan Filmexport for France; and to Wild Bunch for Germany.

“Lights,” which starts lensing Monday in Barcelona, has also been acquired by RAI Cinema in Italy, while Nordisk Film has taken Scandinavian rights.

Warner Bros. took Spanish rights last week to the pic, which also toplines recent Sundance buzz girl Elizabeth Olsen, Toby Jones, Joely Richardson and Leonardo Sbaraglia.

Cortes’ follow-up to Ryan Reynolds starrer “Buried” generated a flurry of deals during November’s AFM. Barcelona-based Versus Entertainment produces in association with Cindy Cowan Entertainment, Antena 3 Films and pubcaster Televisio de Catalunya.

“The keys to these sales is the film’s strong cast, Cortes’ precedent set in ‘Buried’ and a reasonable price,” said Versus’ Adrian Guerra, who produces the pic alongside Cortes.

From an original screenplay by Cortes, “Lights” turns on a psychologist (Weaver) whose study of paranormal activity leads her to investigate a world-renowned psychic (De Niro).

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By EMILIANO DE PABLOS, JOHN HOPEWELL | Variety

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