Open Road has snapped up U.S. rights to Jake Gyllenhaal's upcoming crime drama Nightcrawler for $4.5 million following a spirited bidding war, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The movie, now completed, sparked keen interest among domestic distributors on the ground at the Cannes Film Market. The Weinstein Co. and Focus Features were also in the bidding, with A24 Films and Fox Searchlight circling.

Nightcrawler, focusing on a driven young man (Gyllenhaal) who stumbles upon the underground world of L.A. freelance crime journalism, marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Dan Gilroy. Rene Russo, Gilroy's wife, and Bill Paxton co-star in the movie.

Gilroy most recently co-wrote the screenplay for The Bourne Legacy with his brother Tony Gilroy. Tony Gilroy and Jennifer Fox, who collaborated on Michael Clayton, Duplicity and the Bourne series, are producing Nightcrawler with Gyllenhaal.