Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions Acquire U.S. Rights to Double Sundance Winner ‘Twinless’ Starring Dylan O’Brien, Sets September Release
Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions announced today that they have acquired the U.S. rights to writer/director/producer/actor James Sweeney’s (Straight Up) feature Twinless starring Sweeney and Dylan O’Brien (Saturday Night). Roadside Attractions will release the film theatrically in the U.S. on September 5, 2025. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will distribute the film internationally.
In the film, two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship. Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) both search for solace and an identity without their other halves and soon become inseparable outside the group.
At the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the film was the winner of the Audience Award, and Dylan O’Brien was honored with the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for his leading dual role as twin brothers. The film is currently sits at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. You can read the AW review of the film out of Sundance here.
Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale), Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), Francois Arnaud (In Transit, Yellowjackets), Tasha Smith (Bad Boys: Ride Or Die), Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary), Susan Park (Shining Vale, High Desert) and Cree (Turtles All The Way Down) also star.
The film is produced by David Permut and James Sweeney with Dylan O’Brien and Miky Lee as executive producers, alongside Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron, and Liz Destro. Alex Astrachan at Permut Presentations who serves as co-producer.
“I’m delighted to pair up with Roadside and Lionsgate to bring our film into theaters nationwide. I’m holding ample space for Twinless and look forward to overthinking future press quotes.” said Sweeney on the announcement.
“The sharp comedy depicts complex characters in such an irreverent, emotional and hysterical way. The chemistry between Dylan and James is absolutely combustible and it’s a film that is best seen in a theater. I know we have found the right home at Roadside Attractions,” says Permut.
Roadside Attractions co-presidents Eric d’Arbeloff and Howard Cohen added, “Twinless is both a genuine comedic crowd pleaser and a sophisticated examination of male friendship in the internet age. Dylan O’Brien’s performance in a dual role is nothing less than a star-defining turn and multi-hyphenate Sweeney declares himself a generational talent both in front of and behind the camera. We are confident the film will connect with theatrical audiences nationwide as strongly as it did at Sundance.”
Three Point Capital financed the feature. The deal was negotiated by Charlotte Koh on behalf of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Sejin Croninger negotiated for Republic Pictures.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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