Wolfe Releasing Acquires Rights To Charles Busch & Carl Andress’ Outfest Pic ‘The Sixth Reel’, Cult Comedy ‘Die, Mommie, Die!’ Written By And Starring Busch

Matt Grobar
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Wolfe Releasing has acquired worldwide rights to Charles Busch and Carl Andress’ comedy The Sixth Reel, and to the late director Mark Rucker’s cult comedy Die, Mommie, Die!, slating the former film for release in theaters and on digital this fall. The latter will hit theaters in 2023, subsequently making its streaming debut.

In The Sixth Reel, a down-on-his-luck movie collector (Busch) discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever. Longtime collaborators Busch and Andress directed the pic from their script, with Julie Halston (And Just Like That…), Patrick Page (In the Heights), Tim Daly (Life & Beth) and Margaret Cho (Fire Island) rounding out the cast. The film was produced by Jamie Buckner and Alex Peace-Power of Derby City Productions, and the late Ash Christian of Cranium Entertainment. It won a Special Mention for Ensemble Performance at Outfest 2021 and has been showing at film festivals around the world over the past year, including Frameline, Newfest, Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney, Australia and TLVFest.

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In the Busch-penned Die, Mommie, Die!, ex-singing sensation Angela Arden (Busch) is no longer in love with her husband Sol Sussman (Philip Baker Hall) and is disconnected from her children. In an attempt to escape her marriage so that she can be with the hunky Tony Parker (Jason Priestley), Angela poisons her husband. But when she begins to suspect that her daughter Edith (Natasha Lyonne) and gay son Lance (Stark Sands) are also sleeping with her paramour – and they in turn begin to suspect their mother had a role in their father’s death – everything begins to fall apart.

Die, Mommie, Die! - Credit: Sundance Film Series/Courtesy Everett Collection
Die, Mommie, Die! - Credit: Sundance Film Series/Courtesy Everett Collection

Sundance Film Series/Courtesy Everett Collection

Frances Conroy (American Horror Story) also starred in the film, which had its world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, where Busch won the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance. Dante Di Loreto, Anthony Edwards and Bill Kenwright produced the pic, with Lonny Dubrofsky serving as its EP. It was originally released in theaters on October 31, 2003 and has previously been available on DVD through the Sundance Film Series.

Wolfe Releasing’s latest pair of acquisitions stem from its longtime relationship with Busch and Andress, which last saw the company release their 2007 film A Very Serious Person.

“Charles Busch and Carl Andress have created a new classic caper comedy with The Sixth Reel that has kept festival audiences laughing since the premiere at Outfest last year,” said Wolfe Releasing’s VP of Content, Evan Schwartz. “As soon as we saw The Sixth Reel, we were immediately inspired to go on our own search to restore Die, Mommie, Die! in time for its 20th anniversary. We are excited to continue our collaboration with Charles and Carl and can’t wait to share both films with audiences.”

“Carl Andress and I are delighted to continue our association with Wolfe with The Sixth Reel,” added Busch. “And I’m beyond thrilled that the late Mark Rucker’s film Die, Mommie, Die! will once more be available. My past and present are in good hands.”

Founded in 1985, Wolfe Releasing has backed such popular LGBTQ+ films as The Obituary of Tunde Johnson, Ahead of the Curve, Milkwater, Adam, Retablo, Jules of Light and Dark, 1985, Anchor and Hope and Just Friends. Additional upcoming releases include Death and Bowling, Nelly & Nadine, It Is In Us All and the Italian LGBTQIA+ dramedy Blessed Boys (La Santa Piccola).

The deal for The Sixth Reel was negotiated by Schwartz from Wolfe Releasing and producer Jamie Buckner from Derby City Productions on behalf of the filmmakers. The deal for Die, Mommie, Die! was negotiated by Schwartz and Naomi George from Bill Kenwright Films.

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