Cooper Raiff Sold a Movie at Sundance for $15 Million, What Happens to Your Career After a Deal That Big? ‘It Makes You Too Confident,’ He Says

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Once again, Cooper Raiff is gracing Sundance and sat down with EbMaster Studio, sponsored by Audible, for a chat about his comeback to the Park City event. This time around, he’s unveiling his debut television series, “Hal & Harper,” at Sundance. Remarkably, this production was independently financed, which raised eyebrows given that his previous film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” turned out to be one of the most successful breakouts at the 2022 festival with a massive $15 million deal sealed with Apple. One might wonder, what does such a substantial agreement truly amount to?

Cooper explained to Angelique Jackson of EbMaster, “It’s made me overly self-assured because of that agreement. I believed, ‘Why not television then?’ I shared this with everyone. We’re daring the storm with this series. ‘Cha Cha’ gained backing through numerous independent films. Now, we’re attempting to sell the show…it needs to be an unavoidable attraction for these streamers and networks. Yet, it has made me too confident.”

Cooper told Angelique Jackson that the deal they had made made him think he could do a TV series because ‘Cha Cha’ was successful in indie movies. The show is risky, but he thinks it needs to be really appealing to streaming platforms and networks. However, the success of the deal has given him too much confidence.

Raiff expressed his gratitude, stating, “It’s wonderful that it turned out as it did, for it provided me with the liberty to create what I had long desired.” He further explained, “This is the passion project I have always dreamt of bringing to life.

Raiff takes on the lead role in “Hal & Harper,” co-starring Mark Ruffalo, Lili Reinhart, Addison Timlin, and Havana Rose Liu. This series revolves around two siblings who are thrust into adulthood prematurely due to their sole parent. Currently, “Hal & Harper” is in search of distribution at Sundance. Notably, this television series marks Raiff’s debut in the small screen. His initial directorial venture for films was “Shithouse,” which premiered at SXSW and clinched the grand jury prize for best narrative feature. Subsequently, his second film, titled “Cha Cha,” was bought by Apple for a whopping $15 million.

Watch the full “Hal & Harper” video interview from Sundance above.

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2025-01-27 03:49