EXCLUSIVE: Vertical has snapped up U.S. rights to He Went That Way, a true-life serial killer tale that stars Jacob Elordi (Saltburn), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek franchise), and Patrick J. Adams (Suits). Marking the first and final feature from Australian director and DP Jeffrey Darling, who passed away in March 2022, the thriller will release exclusively in theaters early next year, having world premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.
Billed as a wicked spin on the buddy road trip pic, the film is set in 1964 and follows 19-year-old serial killer Bobby (Elordi) as he is picked up by a celebrity animal handler, Jim (Quinto), on a desolate stretch of Route 66, with priceless cargo in tow: his chimpanzee, Spanky, an American TV darling. As stress between them rises and their fiery personalities combust, the road only becomes more treacherous the farther they go.
Pic is based on the true story of celebrity animal trainer Dave Pitts, his famous TV chimp, Spanky — who served as the centerpiece of the traveling entertainment show, The Ice Capades — and their fateful three-day encounter with serial killer Larry Lee Ranes. In addition to the real-life account from Pitts, the sole survivor of Ranes’ killing spree, it draws inspiration from the book Luke Karamazov by Conrad Hilberry.
Script was written by Evan M. Wiener (Big Sky). The film is produced by Marc Benardout, Hugh Broder, Jeremy L Kotin, James Harris and Mark Lane of Teashop Productions. Along with Quinto and Elordi, executive producers include Phil Hunt of Head Gear Films and Bohemia Media, Medha Jaishankar, Compton Ross, Ananyaa Shah, Lisa Broder, Richard Broder, and Lawrence August.
Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical, with Mister Smith CEO David Garrett and VP International Sales & Distribution Shane Kelly on behalf of the production.
In a statement following the acquisition, the producing team relayed that they were “so thrilled by the audience response at Tribeca and delighted that Vertical will be bringing this story to theaters. It’s been an eighteen-year journey to bring this story to life and now stands as a legacy to our director, the late Jeffrey Darling, who passed away during post-production. Jacob and Zachary brought such an intensity and smart approach to the characters in a story steeped in instinct, infatuation, and incident.”
Added Jarowey on behalf of Vertical, “We were enthralled by Jacob and Zachary’s gritty chemistry when we watched the film at Tribeca and knew immediately this would be a story audiences would find captivating. We look forward to working with Mister Smith on another collaboration, as we did on The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and The Hating Game, and building upon the success of He Went That Way together.”