‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ With Emma Thompson Nabbed by Searchlight Pictures

Searchlight Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” a comedy and drama about sex and intimacy from director Sophie Hyde that premiered at Sundance and stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack.

Searchlight acquired the film to stream as an original film on Hulu in the U.S.

Searchlight previously picked up Mimi Cave’s “Fresh” ahead of its premiere at Sundance and will also stream the film on Hulu. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” was also reportedly sold in a competitive situation in the range of $7.5 million.

Thompson in “Leo Grande” plays Nancy Stokes, a retired school teacher yearning for some adventure, but most importantly, some good sex. She hires a young sex worker named Leo Grande (McCormack) to help her have the good sex that has eluded her her entire life.

The film is a two-hander set primarily in a hotel room and involves multiple meetings between Nancy and Leo as they discuss life, sexuality, body positivity, and touch on intimate, personal details between these two strangers. Thompson delivers a standout performance in the film and at Sundance discussed why at 62 she chose to do a full body nude scene for the film.

“I’ve always been a card-carrying, kind of militant feminist about women’s bodies and what’s been done to them, what we’re told is expected of ourselves, what we’re told to do to ourselves,” Thompson said at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio. “I think one of the rare triumphs of this story and of this movie is that it presents the untreated body for one of those very rare moments.”

“Sophie Hyde has brought Katy Brand’s brilliant script to life with a joy and humanity that perfectly captures the journey of searching for connection and liberation,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a statement. “’Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ is a beautiful film, and Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack are simply perfect.”

“We are soaked in a culture that encourages us to dislike our bodies and be ashamed of what brings us pleasure but I hope ‘Leo Grande’ brings much pleasure to U.S. audiences,” Hyde said. “I loved every second of working with Emma and Daryl on this movie. Collaborating with them, and the incredible artists who helped craft the movie, has been a true delight and I couldn’t be more thrilled that the team at Searchlight will be guiding its release.”

Paul Hoffman, Head of Searchlight Business Affairs and Chan Phung, SVP of Acquisitions and Production negotiated the deal with CAA Media Finance and Cornerstone. Katy Brand, Julian Gleek, Hyde, Mark Gooder, Alison Thompson, Nadia Khamlichi, Nessa McGill and Martin Metz are executive producers.

Deadline first reported the news.