Blumhouse and Prime Video have won world rights to Sundance horror-drama Nanny, we can reveal.
In a competitive situation, which also included SPC and Neon, Prime Video ultimately won out thanks to a deal in the $7M range. Blumhouse’s Jason Blum saw the movie and instantly fell for it so wanted to include it as part of the company’s Amazon deal. There is also a theatrical commitment, we understand.
From in-demand first-time feature writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, Nanny premiered at Sundance this year in the U.S. Dramatic Competition to strong reviews and went on to win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, the first horror film to take the festival’s top honor.
The film stars Anna Diop (Us) as a Senegalese immigrant nanny, piecing together a new life in New York City while caring for the child of an Upper East Side family, who is forced to confront a concealed truth that threatens to shatter her American Dream. Michelle Monaghan (The Craft: Legacy), Sinqua Walls (The 15:17 to Paris), Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age), and Rose Decker (Mare of Easttown) also star.
The movie was acquired from Topic Studios, Stay Gold Features and LinLay Productions. The deal was negotiated by CAA Media Finance.
Off the back of Nanny, Jusu’s next project is already set up with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw and Universal.
Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum said: “We’re proud to have writer/director Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny as part of our slate for Amazon. It’s a gem of a horror film that combines impressive filmmaking and powerful storytelling, and is worthy of the Grand Jury Prize it was awarded at Sundance”.
“With Nanny, Nikaytu Jusu has crafted a film that is as haunting as it is powerful,” commented Julie Rapaport, head of movies at Amazon Studios. “From the exceptional performances to its strong visual language, we can’t wait to share Nanny with our global audience and to continue our longstanding collaboration with Blumhouse.”
“Knowing my first feature, Nanny, is now among a roster of provocative and iconic work at Amazon is rewarding. Coupled with Blumhouse’s recognizability in the world of genre, horror specifically, I’m excited to be in the warm embrace of a team at the intersection of bold content and indie filmmaking sensibilities. My hope is that this acquisition stands as a testament to their continued bravery in ushering in unique voices,” added Jusu.
Behind the camera, Nanny hails from a strong female filmmaking team led by Jusu, including cinematographer Rina Yang (Euphoria) lensing her first narrative feature; producers Nikkia Moulterie (Suicide by Sunlight) and Daniela Taplin Lundberg of Stay Gold Features (Harriet); and executive producers Maria Zuckerman (Spencer) of Topic Studios, and Grace Lay and Sumalee Montano of LinLay Productions (Riotsville, U.S.A).
Nanny is also executive produced by Nikyatu Jusu; Ryan Heller and Michael Bloom for Topic Studios; Rebecca Cammarata for Stay Gold Features; and Jason Blum, Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television.
Prior to directing Nanny, Jusu’s short film Suicide by Sunlight was nominated for a 2019 Sundance Grand Jury Short Film award. While a student at New York University’s Tisch Graduate Film school where she was a recipient of the Spike Lee Fellowship award and the Princess Grace Narrative Film Award, Jusu won a DGA Student Film Award – Jury Prize, Best African American Student Filmmaker – East Region for her short film Say Grace Before Drowning (2010) and DGA Student Film Award – Honorable Mention, Best African American Student Filmmaker – East Coast for her short African Booty Scratcher (2007).
Jusu is represented by M88, CAA, and Granderson Des Rochers.