Comic-Con: Nerdist Gets Into Film Biz with ‘Zero Charisma’
Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist Industries, best known for its weekly podcasts and YouTube videos, has entered the film biz, partnering with Tribeca Film to co-release the comedy “Zero Charisma.”
Film is the directorial debut of Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews.
Produced by Shark Films and Magic Stone, project is a “Dungeons & Dragons” culture-inspired dramedy that premiered at the 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the audience award in the “narrative spotlight” category. Sam Eidson, Garrett Graham and Brock England star.
ALSO AT COMIC-CON: Superman and Batman to Team Up in Movie
Tribeca Film and Nerdist Industries will co-release the film on Oct. 8 across a variety of video-on-demand platforms, as well as iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, PlayStation, and Google Play, followed by a theatrical release on Oct. 11.
Deal was brokered by Peter Levin, CEO of Nerdist, and Jon Patricof, president and chief operating officer of Tribeca, and Alison Diviney, manager of acquisitions.
Pact was announced during Nerdist’s Comic-Con panel on Saturday.
In “Zero Charisma,” Eidson leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother’s kitchen, but finds everything slipping from his life when a neo-nerd hipster joins the game.
ALSO AT COMIC-CON: ‘World of Warcraft’ Movie to Film in 2014
“My podcast mate Jonah Ray saw ‘Zero Charisma’ at SXSW and immediately texted me to say it was one of the best movies of the year,” said Hardwick, who serves as Nerdist’s chief creative officer. “When I saw it, I knew I had to tell as many people as I could about it. It’s hilarious, touching, beautiful, authentic and an eerily accurate echo of my first D&D group in the 80’s. I think the character of Scott will become a cultural hero. He is the personification of the nerd rage that boils in all of us when people don’t follow the rules of the game.”
Thomas Fernandes, Ezra Venetos, produced the film with Matthews and Graham, while Michael and Lindsay Stephenson of Magic Stone served as executive producers alongside Rod Olson, Shark Films.
Related stories
YouTube Turns to TV, In-Theater Ads to Speak to Geeks
'Guardians of the Galaxy' Firms Up Cast With Glenn Close
How Marvel is Turning to Short Films to Sell More DVDs, Blu-rays
Get more from Variety.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
