“Portlandia” co-creator Jonathan Krisel is making his feature debut with “Hey Bear,” a bold revenge comedy that will star Mia Goth (“Frankenstein”), Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover trilogy”) and Dan Stevens (“I’m Your Man”).
Penned by Carrie Kemper, the Emmy-winning writer of “Beef,” “Hey Bear” is being pitched as a “coming of rage” story boasting offbeat comedy, about a woman who seeks revenge on the bear that ate her husband. Alix Madigan (“Winter’s Bone”) will produce.
“Hey Bear” will be introduced to buyers at AFM, with HanWay Films handling international sales and WME Independent & UTA Independent Film Group representing North America.
Goth stars as Claire, who “has always led a life solely based on other people’s expectations. Married to Gregory (Dan Stevens), she accommodates his desire to spend his life studying bears in Glacier National Park, even though it means months away from him at a time. During one of her visits, a grizzly bear, nicknamed Mr. Cranky by Gregory, mauls him to death. After being told by the park rangers that Mr. Cranky was euthanised, Claire finds out that the bear has merely been transported to another national park and is living his best life. The usually meek Claire makes up her mind to exact revenge on the bear. She teams up with socially awkward park ranger Putt (Galifianakis) to assassinate Mr. Cranky, but Putt has his own murky motivations for joining her. With death and truth lurking around every tree, Claire’s desperate, grief-fueled mission takes her on an ultimately uplifting journey of empowerment and self-discovery. Set in breath-taking natural scenery, this “coming of rage” story is a darkly comedic rollercoaster ride full of originality and surprise,” the synopsis reads.
“There is nothing more thrilling than coming across a project that breaks barriers in terms of originality. As absurd and crazy as the premise of this story is, you always fully connect and empathise with Claire’s journey as she figures out how out of grief, to take ownership of her life again,” said Gabrielle Stewart, CEO of HanWay Films. “Mia Goth, Dan Stevens and Zach Galifianakis are the dream team to make us laugh, feel, and gasp with shock and horror,” Stewart continued.
Executive producers are Carrie Kemper and Danica Radovanov. Krisel is represented by UTA and Mosaic. Kemper is represented by UTA. Goth is represented by WME, Curtis Brown and Jackoway, Austen. Galifianakis is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and UTA. Stevens is represented by CAA and Julian Belfrage Associates
