Bleecker Street announced today that it has acquired the North American distribution rights to horror film “The Third Parent” from Walters Media Group. The film marks the feature debut of producer David Michaels, who is set to write and direct. Rob Lowe (“The West Wing,” “St. Elmo’s Fire”) will produce and star along with Crispin Glover (“Back to the Future,” “River’s Edge”), and Roselyn Sanchez (“Fantasy Island,” “Rush Hour 2”). Bleecker Street will release the film nationwide in theaters.

Based on the acclaimed viral “creepypasta” series of internet-based stories from writer Elias Witherow, “The Third Parent” takes place amidst a 4th of July celebration, when a disturbing figure named Tommy Taffy emerges, disguising himself as a human to infiltrate a suburban neighborhood and impose authoritarian rule over an unsuspecting family.

The film will be produced by Gary Michael Walters (“Whiplash,” “Nightcrawler,” and Bleecker’s “Colette”) for Walters Media Group, which retains ownership of the IP. Rob Lowe also produces along with Spencer Young for Enfant Terrible and Jonathan Halperyn and Daniel Kresmery for Hero Squared. Executive producers include Jack Roberts for Lesnik Entertainment, Drake Dowd and Kristen Gilot-Dowd for Dowd Films, and Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson for Bleecker Street.

“Crispin Glover’s Tommy Taffy will be the next great horror villain,” said Bleecker’s Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson in a statement. “With Gary’s incredible track record as a producer and David’s strong vision, anchored by Rob Lowe and Roselyn Sanchez’ compelling performances, we believe this will be a singular and terrifying theatrical experience.”

“I am so thrilled to be part of Bleecker Street’s continued expansion into the horror space. Andrew and Kent’s support for this project has been phenomenal,” said Gary Michael Walters.

Rob Lowe is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award- nominated actor, producer, and author, best recognized for his work in television series including “The West Wing,” “Parks and Recreation,” “9-1-1: Lone Star,” and “Unstable,” as well as films such as “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “About Last Night…,” and “The Outsiders.” Lowe is also the host and producer of FOX’s hit game show “The Floor” and is a New York Times best-selling author of memoirs including “Stories I Only Tell My Friends and Love Life.” Lowe’s podcast “Literally” is currently in its fourth season.

Crispin Glover is an iconic actor, director, and producer, best recognized for his performances in films such as “Back to the Future,” “River’s Edge,” and “Willard,” as well as television series like “American Gods” and “Texas Rising”. Glover has earned critical acclaim for his unconventional roles and has worked extensively as an independent filmmaker, directing projects including “What Is It?” and “It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine.”

Roselyn Sanchez is an actress, director, producer, and author known for her work in the television series “Fantasy Island,” “Devious Maids,” and “Without a Trace,” and in such films as “Rush Hour 2,” “The Game Plan,” and “Act of Valor.” Sanchez received an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series for her role in “Without a Trace.” She recently wrapped her feature film directorial debut on “Diario: Mujer y Café.”

Lowe is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Glover is represented by IAG. Sanchez is represented by IAG, Alchemy Entertainment, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum.

The deal was negotiated by Bleecker Street’s Miranda King and Avy Eschenasy. Walters and Rosen Law Group negotiated for WMG.

Bleecker Street, striving to have an increasingly diverse theatrical slate, recently released “Hard Truths,” the two-time BAFTA nominated film from legendary Academy Award-winner Mike Leigh and starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won over 15 awards, including the critics trifecta, for her performance. Bleecker’s upcoming 2025 slate includes crowd-pleasing rom-com “The Wedding Banquet” from director Andrew Ahn, starring Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, Joan Chen, and Academy Award-winner Yuh-jung Youn, which had its world premiere at Sundance to rave reviews and will open April 18; Fall festival hit “The Friend,” starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and Bing the Great Dane, opening in NY March 28 and nationwide April 4; and thriller “Relay” starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington, which premiered at TIFF and will be released August 22.

About Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is an independently financed studio based in New York City that was founded in August 2014 by Andrew Karpen. Bleecker has released more than 75 films and has established itself as a trusted label and champion of original 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 by 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”).

Bleecker’s upcoming 2025 slate includes “The Wedding Banquet,” from director Andrew Ahn which stars Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Joan Chen and Yuh-jung Youn, and which premiered to acclaim at Sundance; Telluride, TIFF and NYFF selection “The Friend,” starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Ann Dowd, and Constance Wu; David Mackenzie’s gripping thriller “Relay” starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington; and period comedy “Fackham Hall,” written by comedian Jimmy Carr in his screenwriting feature debut with Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers.

Bleecker’s 10th anniversary in 2024 marked the release of “Rumours” from iconic canadian directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, featuring an ensemble cast including Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander; epic Odyssey tale “The Return” starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche; as well as “Hard Truths,” the BAFTA, Gotham and Spirit Award-nominated film from legendary auteur Mike Leigh and starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won the New York, Los Angeles and National critics trifecta for her performance in the film.

Other recent releases have included the comedy “The Fabulous Four” starring Bette Midler, Megan Mullally, Susan Sarandon, and Sheryl Lee Ralph; “Treasure” from filmmaker Julia von Heinz, starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival; the family dramedy “Ezra,” directed by Tony Goldwyn and starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne and Robert De Niro, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; David and Nathan Zellner’s “Sasquatch Sunset,” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival; and World War II drama “One Life” starring Academy Award-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins.