The acquisition of North American rights follows the collaboration on Werner Herzog’s Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, which remains the highest grossing documentary release of the year-to-date.

Into The Abyss investigates a triple homicide case in Texas and explores the lives of several people involved in the case, including the Death Row inmate who was executed eight days after agreeing to appear on camera.

Erik Nelson produced, as he did on Cave Of Forgotten Dreams. Dave Harding, Amy Briamonte, Henry Schleiff, Sara Kozak, Andre Singer and Lucki Stipetic served as executive producers.

“Earlier this year, Werner Herzog took us to unseen Chauvet Cave in Cave Of Forgotten Dreams which became one of our company’s most successful releases and the year’s highest grossing documentary,” Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said.

“Now he has gone a step further and shown us the human soul in one of his most remarkable films, Into The Abyss. This is a hard-hitting, emotional and enlightening film that probes a crime and the legacy of the people involved and shows Herzog to be one of our great filmmakers. We are thrilled he has entrusted us with this film and are happy to be in business with him, our friends at Creative Differences and Investigation Discovery.”

Sehring and Sundance Selects/IFC Films vp of business and legal affairs Betsy Rodgers negotiated with Nelson and Briamonte at Creative Differences with counsel from Marc Simon at Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard.

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