Vertical picks up the U.S. rights for David Duchovny’s Billy F*cking Dent

Photo Courtesy: Vertical

Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to Bucky F*cking Dent, a father-son dramedy set against the 1978 Red Sox vs. Yankees pennant race. Based on his 2016 best-selling novel of the same name, the film is written, directed by and stars David Duchovny. With a world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival under its belt, the film also stars 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 release date is slated for later this year.

Bucky F*cking Dent follows Ted (Marshall-Green), a failed writer-turned-Yankees Stadium peanut slinger who moves back home after learning of the failing health of his Red Sox-obsessed father, Marty (David Duchovny). While Marty strives to make amends for his past, his health drops abruptly 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 with the help of a crew of dad’s neighborhood pals. In the process, Ted strikes up a bond with Marty’s charming “Death Specialist,” Mariana (Beatriz), and the prospect of a new love reignites his ambitions. An ode to the bond between father and son, this warm and witty film demonstrates how life truly belongs to the losers, and that the longshots are the ones worth betting on.

“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. 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,” said Duchovny. “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 Partner Peter Jarowey 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 is produced by Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman, and David Duchovny. The 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. Below-the-line talent includes cinematographer Jeff Powers, production designer Luke Carr, costume designer Lou Schad, editor Jamie Nelsen, music by Vincent Jones, and casting by Trevor St. John David.

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.