Neon and Waypoint have struck a strategic financial partnership to collaborate on a theatrical slate of “bold, genre-spanning”larger independent features.
The non-exclusive pact sees Waypoint, led by Ken Kao, invest in the slate after the partners worked together on Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo, which premiered in Berlinale Special gala last month.
Waypoint founder and president Kao said, “Our joint venture will focus on the underserved market of larger independent films, specifically in the $10m+ range that often get overlooked by studios and streamers.”
Neon founder and CEO Tom Quinn hailed Waypoint’s “commitment and unique ability to create bold, beautiful cinema”.
Neon’s international sales team lead by Kristen Figeroid handled sales on Cuckoo and will do so on the upcoming slate. Cuckoo will be released in the US by Neon in May. The deal was negotiated by Ryan Friscia and Emily Thomas at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz with Waypoint’s Josh Rosenbaum, and Alan Sacks. The upcoming slate features Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, which the company acquired at Sundance, and
Immaculate
starring Sydney Sweeney.Waypoint’s credits include Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite and Shane Black’s detective thriller The Nice Guys
. The company serves as executive producer on Aneil Karia’s contemporary adaptation of Hamlet starring Riz Ahmed, and Nick Rowland’s crime thriller She Rides Shotgun with Taron Egerton.Former Paramount exec to join film and TV royalties firm MPLC
