Sarah Hyland, Melissa Leo Star In Netflix’s Indie Film Slate

Before the end of 2015, Netflix will distribute its first two feature film acquisitions, with Beasts of No Nation arriving in October and Ridiculous Six following two months later. As it looks to legitimize its film business through big-budget movies, Netflix is also investing in smaller projects to round out its library of original films. According to Deadline, it has acquired a number of indie films, which it will distribute both in theaters and online.

Deadline’s report discusses three films Netflix has acquired as part of its indie push, two of which include notable names within their respective casts. Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland will star creative studio Walter Robot’s as-of-yet untitled film about electronic music, while a biopic called The Most Hated Woman In America will be led by Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo. The third film, a psychological thriller called Rebirth, is currently casting.

These films join a handful of other indie projects in Netflix’s developmental pipeline. Specifically, the streaming platform has a four-film deal with indie darlings Mark and Jay Duplass, who will distribute their movies on Netflix 30 days after premiering them in theaters.

The new additions to Netflix’s film slate may be indie projects, but according to Deadline, they didn’t come cheap. The report claims Netflix paid between 120-130% of each film’s seven-digit budget to acquire all distribution rights.

The films don’t have specific release dates yet, but the Walter Robot film and Rebirth are expected to arrive in Q4 2015, while The Most Hated Woman In America is planned for next year.