Bleecker Street announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to “Buzzkill,” the upcoming horror-comedy from Joe Lynch (“Everly,” “Mayhem”), directing from a screenplay by Colin McLaughlin. Billy Magnussen (“Lilo and Stitch,” “Road House”) and Lulu Wilson (“The Wrath of Becky,” “Xeno”) lead the cast. Bleecker Street plans a nationwide theatrical release in 2027, with production slated to begin in early 2026 in Texas.
“Buzzkill” is a monster movie with a boozy twist. Magnussen plays Sheriff Red, recently widowed and struggling with drinking too much, who launches an investigation as townspeople begin turning up murdered and dismembered. He soon discovers that a horrifying creature is stalking the town – and can only be seen by the inebriated. With the annual brewery festival approaching and the entire town preparing for a weekend of heavy drinking, Red must confront his demons to save his town. Wilson co-stars as Lydia, Red’s vengeful younger sister.
The film is produced by Dane and Cole Eckerle under their Bad Grey banner, alongside Jonathan Schwartz and Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content, with David Levine executive producing. Bleecker Street’s Kent Sanderson, Tyler DiNapoli, and Miranda King, are executive producing. Magnussen also produces under his HappyBad Bungalow banner, joined by partners Anne Hollister and Shane Andries as co-executive producers. The deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Miranda King and Avy Eschenasy with Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker and UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of filmmakers. The Veterans is representing international sales rights.
“Bleecker’s mandate is, above all else, to bring genres of all kinds to theatergoers, and ‘Buzzkill’ aims to make the theater into the ultimate, thrilling and blood-soaked party,” said Kent Sanderson, CEO of Bleecker Street. “Joe brings such a distinct voice to his work, and we’re excited to be partnering with him and the whole cast.”
Bleecker recently released Max Walker-Silverman’s Sundance favorite “Rebuilding” starring Josh O’Connor, Lily Latorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, and Amy Madigan, as well as “Fackham Hall,” a biting spoof of British period dramas starring Damian Lewis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Katherine Waterston. Both titles are now in theaters. The 2026 slate includes Oscar-winner Guy Nattiv’s “Harmonia” starring Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, Carrie Coon and Lily James; “The Third Parent” starring Rob Lowe, Crispin Glover and Roselyn Sanchez; and Academy Award-winner Alex Gibney’s “Musk;” and Adam Shankman’s “STOP! THAT! TRAIN!” starring RuPaul.
Magnussen is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Wilson is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Lynch is repped by Anonymous Content and Eclipse Law.
About Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is an independent studio founded in 2014 by Andrew Karpen and is now led by CEO Kent Sanderson. Bleecker has released almost 100 films, all theatrically, and has established itself as a trusted label and champion of both commercial and filmmaker-driven cinema, curating an impressive and lauded slate that extends across all genres. Its releases have included films from auteurs like Steven Soderbergh (“Logan Lucky,” “Unsane”) and Debra Granik (“Leave No Trace”); Oscar-nominated films including “Captain Fantastic” and “Trumbo;” and works to bring brilliant new voices in cinema like Academy Award-winner Guy Nattiv (2024 Oscar-nominee “Golda”), Kitty Green (“The Assistant”), Fran Kranz (Spirit Award-winner for “Mass”), and Laurel Parmet (Spirit Award-nominee for “The Starling Girl”) to the big screen. In 2025, Bleecker launched a bespoke event cinema distribution division called Crosswalk, delivering distinctive content across two key areas: in-person experiences brought to the big screen through event cinema releases, and partnership distribution.