{"id":255977,"date":"2026-01-21T10:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/255977\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:39:08","slug":"sundance-buzziest-films-star-olivia-wilde-jenna-ortega-dave-franco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/255977\/","title":{"rendered":"Sundance Buzziest Films Star Olivia Wilde, Jenna Ortega, Dave Franco"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe time has come to bid goodbye to Park City \u2014 but not before one final festival packed with buzzy indies. This year\u2019s lineup is emblematic of the kinds of films Sundance<\/a> has long springboarded to box office success and awards recognition. There are feel-good dramedies that light up the Eccles, standout nonfiction offerings that become must-sees and out-of-left-field Midnight titles that catch audiences by surprise. <\/p>\n

\n\tHere are the films already sparking interest as the festival prepares to close out its time on the mountain.<\/p>\n

\t\tBuddy \t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Casper Kelly<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ The buzziest Sundance sales of the past couple of years (Together, It\u2019s What\u2019s Inside) have been in the horror-thriller genres, and this movie, from the director behind viral 2010s short Too Many Cooks and BoulderLight producers Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz (Barbarian, Companion), can certainly be an entry on that list. Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt also star in the movie about a girl trying to escape a children\u2019s TV show.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES UTA, Range<\/p>\n

\t\tCarousel\u00a0\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Rachel Lambert<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Chris Pine, Jenny Slate<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Feel-good dramedies have long used the fest as a successful springboard and Carousel can certainly continue that tradition. Pine stars as a divorced father who is juggling his medical practice and raising his anxious daughter when an old high school girlfriend reenters the picture.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES WME, CAA<\/p>\n

\t\tGail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR David Wain<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Jon Hamm, Zoey Deutch, John Slattery<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Straight comedies are rare at Sundance. Rarer still are those with marquee stars like Hamm, Deutch and Slattery. The film follows a Midwestern bride-to-be (Deutch) on a quest to track down her celebrity \u201chall pass\u201d after her fianc\u00e9 successfully sleeps with his own before their wedding. Ken Marino pulls double duty as the co-writer and star among a stacked ensemble.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES WME<\/p>\n

\t\tThe Gallerist\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Cathy Yan<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Jenna Ortega<\/a>, Natalie Portman<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Sendups of moneyed worlds, from The Menu to The White Lotus, are still earning interest for audiences, and this entry pairs Gen Z favorite Jenna Ortega with perennial movie star Portman in an art-world satire in which a gallerist attempts to sell a dead body at Art Basel. Zach Galifianakis, Charli XCX and Da\u2019Vine Joy Randolph are among the supporting cast.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES MRC<\/p>\n

\t\tThe Invite\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Olivia Wilde<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Wilde, Seth Rogen, Pen\u00e9lope Cruz, Edward Norton<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Wilde\u2019s first feature since Don\u2019t Worry Darling centers on a couple (Wilde and Rogen) on the brink of breaking up who host an ill-timed dinner party alongside the couple upstairs (Cruz and Norton). The behind-the-camera talent includes writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, with the backing of producer Megan Ellison, who was behind Wilde\u2019s directorial breakout, Booksmart.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES UTA<\/p>\n

\t\tI Want Your Sex\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Gregg Araki<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Charli XCX<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ A beloved independent filmmaker paired with a cast of young talent (Hoffman, Charli XCX, Chase Sui Wonders), all led by a splashy actor-filmmaker, is certainly a potent combination for Sundance\u2019s final bow in Park City. Wilde stars as an artist who hires an assistant\/ sexual muse in Hoffman.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES CAA<\/p>\n

\t\tJosephine\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Beth de Ara\u00fajo<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ This drama tackles a difficult story about a young girl struggling in the aftermath of witnessing an assault in Golden Gate Park. The film reportedly features strong performances from newcomer Mason Reeves alongside Tatum, and could carry awards potential with the right distributor.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES CAA, WME<\/p>\n

\t\tLeviticus\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Adrian Chiarella<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Australian supernatural horror movies have a good track record in the fest\u2019s Midnight section (see: Talk to Me). This one follows two teenage boys coming to understand their sexuality as a paranormal force starts to stalk them, taking the form of each other. <\/p>\n

\n\tSALES WME<\/p>\n

\t\tThe Shitheads\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Macon Blair<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Dave Franco<\/a>, O\u2019Shea Jackson Jr.<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ An action comedy by way of Sundance, with actor-helmer Blair (who took home the U.S. Competition Grand Jury prize in 2017 with I Don\u2019t Feel at Home in this World Anymore) directing Franco and Jackson as \u201cbozos\u201d tasked with delivering a wealthy teen to rehab. The supporting cast includes scene-stealers like Nicholas Braun and Peter Dinklage.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES CAA, WME<\/p>\n

\t\tSee You When I See You\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR Jay Duplass<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Cooper Raiff, Kaitlyn Dever<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Different eras of Sundance dramedy directors collide on this feature that sees Duplass directing actor-filmmaker Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth). Raiff plays a comedy writer struggling with the loss of his sister, while David Duchovny, Hope Davis and Lucy Boynton round out the ensemble.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES CAA<\/p>\n

\t\tSoul Patrol\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTOR J.M. Harper<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ As interest in biographical documentaries starts to wane (though the festival lineup includes titles centering on Courtney Love and Salman Rushdie), Sundance offers a variety compelling nonfiction like this Nas-produced doc about the Vietnam War\u2019s first Black special operations team, who reunite to tell their story in their own voices.<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES CAA, Submarine<\/p>\n

\t\tWicker\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTORS Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer<\/p>\n

\n\tSTARS Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard<\/p>\n

\n\tBUZZ Two mainstays of off-kitler awards contenders \u2014 Colman and Skarsg\u00e5rd \u2014 come together for this fantastical comedy. Colman plays as a fisherwoman, her village\u2019s outcast, who asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband (Skarsg\u00e5rd).<\/p>\n

\n\tSALES UTA, CAA, Black Bear (international)<\/p>\n

\n\tThis story appeared in the Jan. 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The time has come to bid goodbye to Park City \u2014 but not before one final festival packed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255978,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,24591,93,61,127541,60,38464,39881,22221,59845],"class_list":{"0":"post-255977","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-dave-franco","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-indie-filmmakers","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-jenna-ortega","15":"tag-natalie-portman","16":"tag-sundance","17":"tag-sundance-2026"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}