Vertical Entertainment Acquires Comedy ‘The Donor Party’ Starring Malin Åkerman, Jerry O’Connell, Rob Corddry & More

Matt Grobar
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has locked down worldwide rights to the comedy The Donor Party, toplined by Malin Åkerman (Chick Fight), Rob Corddry (The Unicorn), Erinn Hayes (Gaslit) and Jerry O’Connell (Billions). The company’s plans for the recently-wrapped pic’s release have not yet been disclosed.

The first feature from writer-director Thom Harp is a farce centered on the recently single Jaclyn (Åkerman), who desperately wants to become a mom — by any means necessary. Realizing she doesn’t need a husband to make her dream come true, she devises a plan and enlists her best friends (Hayes and Bria Samoné Henderson) to pull off the ultimate sperm heist from unsuspecting donors Tim (O’Connell), MJ (Dan Ahdoot), Mateo (Jeff Torres) and Armin (Ryan Hansen), all while celebrating an intimate birthday party for her oblivious friend, Geoff (Corddry).

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Anthony J. Kraus cast the pic, which also stars Meadow Williams (Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman), Patty Guggenheim (Mr. Mayor), Cedric Yarbrough (The Goldbergs), Rizwan Manji (Peacemaker), Aarti Mann (Never Have I Ever), Jon Daly (Big Mouth), Brit Morgan (Riverdale) and Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black). Indy Entertainment’s Nancy Leopardi and Ross Kohn are producing alongside Åkerman and Corddry. Executive producers are Vertical Entertainment’s Peter Jarowey, Rich Goldberg and Mitch Budin, BondIt Media Capital’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, LB Entertainment’s Lee Broda, In The Works Productions’ Garret Blutter and Kurt Yochum, Production Resource Experts’ Danny Keck and Eddie Castuera, and Velcroman’s Steve Bencich. Kristin Harris is serving as associate producer.

Vertical, Diamond Film Productions and BondIt financed the film, with Gersh’s Jay Cohen negotiating its packaging.

Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, founded in 2012, which also recently acquired Katie Holmes’ Tribeca-premiering romantic drama Alone Together, and the political satire Land of Dreams, staring Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon and more, which likewise debuted at the New York festival. Upcoming releases from the company include Eli Horowitz’s SXSW 2022 thriller Gone in the Night (formerly The Cow), starring Winona Ryder and John Gallagher Jr., and John Patton Ford’s Sundance 2022 pic Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi.

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