Another three Canadian films have found a way into Sundance, which late last week unveiled its out-of-competition selections, picking up Muse Entertainment’s The Deal, a gay zombie picture by Bruce LaBruce, and the Infinity Features drama Sleepwalking, previously known as Ferris Wheel.

It will be the first trip to Park City, Utah for Muse producers Michael Prupas (Durham County) and Irene Litinsky (Human Trafficking), who will be looking to broker a U.S. deal for their film, which stars William H. Macy as a burnt-out Hollywood exec who cons a major U.S. studio into putting up $100 million for his passion project. Meg Ryan plays a studio exec.

‘We’re hoping to get a major studio to pick it up,’ Prupas tells Playback Daily, adding that a release date for the US$8.5-million The Deal, distributed here by Alliance Films, will depend on how well it does at Sundance.

‘If we find a good U.S. buyer, Alliance will probably want to piggyback their distribution in Canada on the U.S. distribution,’ he adds. Peace Arch Entertainment will handle international sales.

Former Peace Arch CEO Gary Howsam is among The Deal‘s executive producers, along with Peace Arch Pictures president Lewin Webb and newcomers Jason Berk and Matt Lane. Howsam is due to be arraigned on Monday on bank fraud charges in L.A.

Joining Muse at next month’s festival is Vancouver’s Infinity (Capote), which will screen Sleepwalking, starring Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson. It and The Deal will bow in the premieres program.

The Canada/Germany copro Otto; or, Up with Dead People, about a gay zombie looking for love in Berlin, will have its world premiere in the Midnight program. The comedy is written and directed by Toronto filmmaker and photographer Bruce LaBruce (Give Piece of Ass a Chance).

Prupas says Muse didn’t have to shell out big bucks for stars Macy and Ryan, noting that the Montreal company ‘had some terrific support from our creative team in terms of their financial demand.’ The Deal is directed by Steven Schachter (Door to Door).

Sleepwalking, which shot in Regina last fall, stars AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as an 11-year-old girl struggling to come to terms with her mother’s abandonment. It is coproduced by Theron and Infinity’s Rob Merilees (The Snow Walker).

The festival unveiled its full lineup last week, and is screening three Canadian documentaries in competition — Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma, from Toronto’s White Pine Pictures; Up the Yangtze!, from Montreal-based EyeSteelFilm; and the Buenos Aires-shot Les femmes de la Brukman, from Montreal’s Les productions ISCA.

Triage and Up the Yangtze! are copros with the National Film Board, and played well last week at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.

The 27th Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 17-27 in Park City.