Goalpost journeys with Winterbottom's The Trip; five new territories sold

Deals have now been done with Australia (Madman), France (Ad Vitam), Canada (Alliance), Scandinavia (Non-Stop), and Greece (Film Trade).

As previously reported, IFC Films has taken US rights and plans a spring 2011 release.

Goalpost’s Tristan Whalley said several more territories are now in discussions. He noted that the film played “astounding well in Toronto, the reaction was very good.”

The film was a late addition to the London Film Festival lineup, where it screened last week. In addition to the feature film version, the project is also to be shown as six-episode TV version on the BBC in the UK.

The actors play fictionalised versions of themselves, similar to what they did in Winterbottom’s A Cock and Bull Story. The Trip follows the pair as Coogan is invited to take a road trip across the English countryside to write about food for The Observer. He reluntantly takes Brydon as his guest.

The film is a production from Revolution Films, Baby Cow and Arbie Productions. Producers are Andrew Eaton and Melissa Parmenter.

“Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have pulled off a very funny, moving picture,” said Whalley. “Goalpost are thrilled to be working with Revolution on The Trip.”

Goalpost’s slate also includes another Toronto premiere, Richard Bowen’s Little Sister, an ancient Chinese version of the Cinderella story. Xiao Min stars in the family drama, which was shot on location in Southern China.