Vertical has acquired English-speaking world rights, including North America, UK/Ireland, Australia/New Zealand, and South Africa, to first-time director Ben Jacobson’s riotous film Bunny. The New York City-shot film stars Mo Stark (She Came to Me), Jacobson (Blink Twice), Liza Colby, Tony Drazan, Liz Caribel Sierra (Dope Thief), Ajay Naidu (The Good Nurse), and Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning). Co-written by Jacobson, Stark, and Stefan Marolachakis, the film is set for release on November 14, 2025.
Bunny (Stark) is a streetwise hustler working a quick job when everything goes sideways – fast. Thrust into a fight for his life, he turns to his best friend Dino (Jacobson) for help. What follows is one wild, sweltering summer day and night in their East Village tenement, as the two scheme with a crew of eccentric neighbors to cover up a dead body. With the NYPD circling, chaos reigns as the clock ticks and the heat rises. Bunny’s only goal is simple: survive the night without getting caught – or killed.
Bunny had its world premiere at 2025’s South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature. The film had its New York City premiere at 2025’s Tribeca Festival.
“Bringing this story from script to screen alongside Ben and our team of exceptional filmmakers has been nothing short of an honor. A beautiful and challenging and rewarding journey all in one. But mostly, it has been a labor of love. On and off screen, this project was helmed by friends and family who love each other and love New York City. And I am so thrilled to now be partnered with Vertical to release that love to audiences everywhere,” said Producer Sarah Sarandos.
“Bunny is proof of what happens when a fearless team of storytellers meets uncompromising execution. Sarah led with passion and precision, and it was my privilege as Executive Producer to help bring that vision to the screen. This is exactly the kind of bold, New York story I’m proud to champion,” stated Executive Producer Brian Healy.
“Ben has crafted an instant New York classic that feels both timeless and undeniably modern. This film joins the ranks of other great stories told over one day. We can’t wait for the world to meet Bunny,” added Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey.
The film was produced by Sarah Sarandos (Happy Gilmore 2) with Scott Dougan and Jacobson, Marolachakis, and Stark, and executive produced by Brian Healy, Free Association’s Garret Levitz (Blink Twice), and Charles Miller. Additional below-the-line talent includes cinematographer Jackson Hunt (The Black Sea, Betty), editor James LeSage (Bruiser), production designer Cheyenne Ford (If You See Something, Shiva Baby), costume designers Nell Simon (The French Italian) and Kay Kasparhauser, and sound designers Lucas Feuser (Elsbeth) and Kevin Peters (Nonnas), with music by Hamilton Leithauser (The Last Movie Stars).
The deal was negotiated by Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi on behalf of Vertical and by CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.