EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to This Is the Year, an indie coming-of-age dramedy that marks the directorial debut of David Henrie. His fellow Wizards of Waverly Place alum Selena Gomez is among the executive producers on the film, which will now get a theatrical and VOD release day-and-date on September 24.
The screenplay by Sienna Aquilini, Henrie, Pepe Portillo and Bug Hall is a contemporary take on classic 1980s movies and follows a nerdy high school senior (Lorenzo Henrie) who, in a last-ditch effort to win over the girl of his dreams, embarks on a road trip with his best friends to see their favorite band at the biggest music festival of the year, only to discover true love in the most unexpected place.
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The film is produced by Bold Entertainment and Novo Media Group, with MarVista Entertainment handling international distribution. James Henrie and Leo Severino are producers. Gomez, who previously was an EP on Sony’s 2020 romantic comedy Broken Hearts Gallery, executive produces with Denis Gallagher, Chris Mullinax, Richard Salvatore and David E. Ornston.
“It’s exciting for us to finally partner with Vertical Entertainment and MarVista Entertainment for the worldwide release of our film This Is the Year. The team at Endeavor Content put a lot of work into getting these deals done which we appreciate,” said Gallagher, chairman of Bold Entertainment. “David Henrie did a great job with his directorial debut and Selena’s input on the film was very helpful. We are looking forward to seeing it hit the big screens this fall. I think everyone is ready for a feel-good film for the whole family.”
The domestic deal was negotiated by Vertical’s Peter Jarowey and Josh Spector and Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers.
