Start the dance, don't wait for the Sun

By Steven Zeitchik

The old trend: buy Sundance movies moments after the premiere screening ends.

The new trend: buy Sundance movies a week before the premiere begins.

With the big buildup leading to bigger letdowns at the past few festivals, agencies have been exploring ways to not put all their eggs in that debut basket. One sign this thinking is paying off: a big Sundance title is  already in play.

"Rudo y Cursi," the WMA-CAA co-rep that's one of the early products of Spanish-language filmmakers' Cha Cha Cha deal, is in negotiations to go  to Sony Pictures Classics...even though the fest isn't set to begin until next Thursday eve (Cha Cha Cha = the five-picture deal with filmmakers that include Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron).

Carlos Cuaron -- bro of Alfonso, co-writer of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" -- directed the feature about squabbling soccer-playing brother (think a smarter -- much smarter, and certainly much funnier -- "Step Brothers,"in Spanish).

There's another "Y Tu Mama Tambien" connection too -- the movie marks the bigscreen reunion of Garcia Bernal and Luna, who starred in the romantic breakout from '02 about young friends coming of age, which earned an improbably hefty $14 million in the U.S.

Cuaron's new pic had the potential to be one of the big foreign-language crossovers in Park City, and now it is, sort of. The deal hasn't closed yet, but the negotiations are well under way from what we're hearing, and the sale could happen before snow boots get on the ground.

Maybe this could be a hot market at Sundance after all -- for Sundance movies in or out of the festival.