Dimension Films has announced today the acquisition of the road-trip comedy Wild Oats, featuring a cast that includes Academy Award winner Shirley MacLaine, Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver and Academy Award winner Alan Arkin .
The film is directed by Howard Deutch, who helmed classics like Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful and recently worked at HBO directing shows such as “Big Love” and “Hung.” Claudia Myers and Gary Kanew penned the script which has been described as, “a spunky comedy that is a cross between ‘Sideways’ and ‘Thelma and Louise.'”
Wild Oats tells the story of a retired widow (MacLaine) who hits the jackpot when she receives a Social Security check mistakenly made out for $900,000 instead of $900. She and her best friend (Weaver) then take off for Las Vegas, only to become media sensations and fugitives from justice.
Howard Deutch has directed some great classics and the cast is extraordinary, said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. This is a clever and offbeat comedy that is sure to entertain.
I consider it a great opportunity and honor to work with this amazing cast, which has created some of the greatest work in recent memory, said Deutch.
The film is produced by Blythe Frank, Agathe David-Weill and Alexander Tabrizi, with Michael Mailer and Mike Dolan executive producing.
