Hulu Snatches Justin Simien’s ‘Bad Hair’ as Sundance Wraps Up

By Matt Donnelly

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hulu is set to acquire Justin Simien’s campy horror film “Bad Hair” out of the Sundance Film Festival, insiders told Variety. The global pact is for $8 million.

The Disney-owned streamer has emerged ahead of numerous bidders, sources said, and has overcome Simien and the filmmaking team’s concerns about debuting with a streamer. There will be some form of theatrical release before the movie heads to the digital platform. Hulu has success with television shows such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but it is not well known for backing original features.

It’s the second major deal for Hulu, which blew bidders out of the water with its $17.5 million purchase of “Palm Springs,” a comedy with Andy Samberg that it will release with Neon.

A deal has been rumored for days, but Hulu has repeatedly denied that it was the frontrunner for the film. The pact is closing as Sundance prepares to wrap up this weekend.

The latest from “Dear White People” creator Simien opened Sundance’s Midnight section on Thursday night, a program often full of buzzy genre titles. Endeavor Content is selling worldwide territories to the movie on behalf of the filmmakers.

Here’s the logline: “‘’ unfolds in Los Angeles, circa 1989 and follows Anna Bludso (Elle Lorraine), a scarred survivor of a scalp burn from a mild relaxer perm. She also has the smarts and ambition to be the next on-air star at ‘Culture,’ a music video TV show. After years of struggling to be seen for her ideas and hard work, Anna fears the worst when her dreadlocked boss is replaced by Zora (Vanessa Williams), an ex-supermodel. Zora pressures Anna to get a weave. But her new hair has a mind of its own and bites back!”