June 7, 2012 - 20:16 AMT
IFC nabs rights for Brandon Cronenberg’s “Antiviral”

IFC Midnight acquired U.S. rights to Antiviral, the Brandon Cronenberg-directed film that stars Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Douglas Smith and Malcolm McDowell. Produced by Niv Fichman, the film had its world premiere last month in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. Brandon, son of helmer David Cronenberg, wrote and made his feature directing debut on the film, Deadline reported.

In Antiviral, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities supplements his income by selling illegal samples on the black market to rabid fans who wish to partake in the ultimate form of communion. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills superstar Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and obsessed fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding the starlet’s death before he too meets a morbid end. Cronenberg sounds like a chip off the old block.