Dinosaur 13, a documentary about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the unearthing of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever, was acquired by Lionsgate and CNN Films.
The deal marks the first domestic acquisition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Director and producer Todd Miller has been a filmmaker for more than a decade, but he made his debut at Sundance with Dinosaur 13, which premiered at Eccles Theatre on Jan. 16. in the U.S. Documentary Category.
The film exposes the struggle between a slew of organizations, including the U.S. government and Native American tribes, and a team of paleontologists for ownership of Sue the dinosaur.
The acquisition deal was negotiated by Jason Constantine, Lionsgate’s President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, along with Lionsgate’s Eda Kowan, Marc Danon and Wendy Jaffe; and CNN’s Vinnie Malhotra and Stacey Wolf, with Josh Braun, David Koh, and Dan Braun of Submarine. Legal counsel for the filmmakers is Evan Krauss of Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers LLP.