Vertical Buys David Duchovny’s ‘Bucky F*cking Dent,’ Dramedy Set During the 1978 Red Sox-Yankees Pennant Race (EXCLUSIVE)
Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to “Bucky F*cking Dent,” a father-son story set against the 1978 Red Sox vs. Yankees pennant race.
The movie was written, directed by and stars David Duchovny. It also happens to be based on Duchovny’s 2016 best-selling novel of the same name. The cast of “Bucky F*cking Dent” includes Logan Marshall-Green (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”), Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Jason Beghe (“Chicago P.D.”), Evan Handler (“Californication”) with Daphne Rubin-Vega (“In the Heights”) and Pamela Adlon (“King of Staten Island”). The film is produced by Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman, as well as Duchovny.
More from Variety
“Bucky F*cking Dent” had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. The release date is slated for later this year.
The film follows Ted (Marshall-Green), a failed writer-turned-Yankees Stadium peanut seller who moves back home after learning of the failing health of his Red Sox-obsessed father, Marty (David Duchovny). While Marty tries to make amends for his past, his condition worsens whenever his beloved Sox lose a game. To keep his dad’s spirits up, Ted takes matters into his own hands and manufactures a winning streak for the local team with the help of dad’s neighborhood pals. In the process, Ted strikes up a bond with Marty’s charming “Death Specialist,” Mariana (Beatriz), reigniting his writing ambitions.
“I wrote ‘Bucky F*cking Dent’ as a screenplay more than ten years ago but couldn’t get it made, so I wrote it as a novel,” said Duchovny. “Then, I re-wrote it as a screenplay from the novel. I had originally written the son character for myself, but as I aged out of it in the years I was trying to make it, I made the happy adjustment to play the dad and was so lucky to find Logan Marshall-Green to play the son so beautifully.”
Duchovny adds: “I wanted to get back to directing and make an old-fashioned movie where you laugh till you cry and then find yourself really crying. The folks at Yale Productions believed in the movie and stepped up to generously let me make the movie I wanted to make. I’m excited to work with the Vertical team who will expertly bring this movie to a wide audience.”
Vertical’s Peter Jarowey, a partner at the company, said, “David’s big screen adaptation of his novel delivers an emotionally charged coming-of-age story that skillfully tugs at your heartstrings. With a cast that feels tailor-made for their roles, we’re confident that this film will captivate audiences across the country.”
The film’s executive producers include Peter R. Anske, Randy E. Kleinman, Aviva Carroll, Tiffany Kuzon, Jason Kringstein, Scott Levenson, Kurt Ebner, Nicholas Donnermeyer, Will Hirschfeld, Gregory Ruden, Anne B. Ruden, Michael J. Rothstein, Patrick Heaphy, Jeffrey Tussi, and David Nazar. Jeffrey Tussi and Nick Phillips are co-producers, and Edward Nugent is co-executive producer.
Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical. CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal on behalf of the production.
Vertical’s upcoming slate includes “Jeanne Du Barry,” directed by Maïwenn who stars alongside Johnny Depp; “Lee,” directed by Ellen Kuras and starring Kate Winslet; “Asphalt City” directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and starring Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan; and “Firebrand” directed by Karim Aïnouz and starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
