Gravitas Ventures has bought rights to the stand-up comedy documentary “Dying Laughing,” which includes Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Jamie Foxx and the late Garry Shandling.
Gravitas made the deal with filmmakers Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton with plans to release the movie in theaters and on demand in the first quarter of next year.
Billy Connolly, Steve Coogan, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Eddie Izzard, Jerry Lewis, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman and Keenen Ivory Wayans are also featured in “Dying Laughing,” which premiered at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
“Over two years, as the film began to emerge from the thousands of miles traveled and hundreds of hours or interviews, we learned about the physical and emotional dedication that it takes to become a stand-up comedian, and that the prospect of failure haunts even the most experienced and celebrated practitioners,” said Toogood and Stanton. “We hope that the audience will find the final piece as touching, thought-provoking, inspirational and as funny as we do.”
The duo also produced the film alongside producer Suli McCullough and co-producers Samantha Phillips and Daphne Wayans. Keith Haviland, Adam Longworth and John Thomson are the executive producers.
“It’s rare that we, as fans, get such transparency into this industry from such amazing comedy legends,” said Nolan Gallagher, CEO of Gravitas Ventures. “This compelling documentary evokes not just laugher, but truly runs the gamut of emotion for the viewer.”
The deal was negotiated by Nolan Gallagher for Gravitas and ICM Partners on behalf of the filmmakers.
Watch the trailer below:
