Getting Picked Up

Goon gets bought by Magnolia Pictures, which

for us means Indie No More.

A.K.A. Coming to a Theatre Near You!

The Link:

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While here in the States, the sport has never gotten the traction that one might expect, given its velocity and violence, Canada is a national that loves some hockey. It's fitting, then, that the hockey comedy Goon, which is currently playing the Toronto International Film Festival up the Great White North, has a whole lot of Canadian DNA. A new international trailer showcases all the Canadian actors on board, though the lead is played by an American, Sean William Scott (he's from Minnesota, though, where I understand hockey's big). His character, Doug, is a bouncer recruited to play for a minor league hockey team simply to provide some solid violence. Check out the trailer for Goon and enjoy some vulgarity, violence, and Canadian delights.

The film is written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, both of whom hail from North of the border. The screenplay was adapted from the non-fiction book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey by Doug Smith and Adam Frattasio. Baruchel appears in the film alongside fellow Canucks Alison Pill (his real-life fiancee), Eugene Levy, and the inimitable Kim Coates. Liev Schreiber, who plays the most formidable goon in the game, is thoroughly American, as he was born in San Francisco, California. It's okay, though, because there's even more Canada behind the camera: Take Me Home Tonight helmer Michael Dowse directs, and he's from Ontario.

Looks like a damn good time, with Schreiber and Pill in particular seeming to have a blast. Interestingly, after Seann William Scott appeared in a small role in the director's Cop Out, Kevin Smith publicly declared that the actor would play the lead in Hit Somebody, his feature adaptation of the Warren Zevon song which tells the similarly-themed tale of a hockey bruiser whose dream is simply to score a goal. With Scott taking the role in Goon, however, Smith had to find a new lead for his not-yet filming comedy. Nicholas Braun, who plays a part in the director's thriller Red State, has been selected as the man for the job.

Independent distributor Magnolia Pictures just purchased Goon in Toronto for its Magnet division. According to THR's Heat Vision, the sale constituted a roughly $2 million deal. So Goon will be busting heads in a theater near you at some point in 2012, Mayan apocalypse notwithstanding.