Sony announces five changes to their upcoming release calendar, including premiere dates for the film versions of Harold and the Purple Crayon and I Wanna Dance With Somebody. The former, based on a children's book by Crockett Johnson about a young boy who can create worlds by drawing them, was published in 1955 and has become an enduring classic with families. The latter, meanwhile, focuses on the life story of legendary American singer Whitney Houston.
Sony Pictures, considered one of the Big Five American movie studios, has a few anticipated releases coming to theaters this year. October 1 will see the release of new entries in two of their biggest franchises: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth installment of their very successful animated family series, while Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the second film in what Sony hopes can be their cinematic universe. Later in the year, on November 19, Jason Reitman's much-hyped Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which revisits the hit 1980s comedy directed by his father Ivan Reitman, is finally releasing wide after numerous pandemic-related delays.
Sony's latest scheduling announcements are all either original works or fresh adaptations, giving audiences even more to look forward to. The first of these films chronologically is A Mouthful of Air, a recent acquisition that stars Amanda Seyfried and was written, produced, and directed by Amy Koppelman, set to release on October 29 of this year. A Mouthful of Air follows Julie Davis (Seyfried), a bestselling author who writes children's books about unlocking one's fears, and, when she gives birth to her second kid, is forced to confront some childhood fears of her own. Next comes an untitled biopic about legendary boxer George Foreman, detailing his rise to, exit from, and return to boxing's biggest stage, on September 16, 2022. An adaptation of the children's book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile starring Javier Bardem and Winslow Fegley was moved to November 18, 2022.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody, a film from Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou, Harriet), is scheduled for December 23, 2022. British actress Naomi Ackie (The Rise of Skywalker) has already been cast as the pop icon, and biopic specialist Anthony McCarten, Oscar-nominated for The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes, will pen the script. And finally, fans of Harold and the Purple Crayon can circle January 27, 2023 in their calendars with their favorite purple utensil. While no director is yet attached to the project, it will feature a screenplay from the duo behind Dinner for Schmucks and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and Zachary Levi (Shazam!) is to star in an unknown role.
With the exception of Harold and the Purple Crayon, these films have been placed by Sony in prime, Oscar-qualifying slots, suggesting these are titles people can expect to hear about again, and often. In particular, the studio looks to be hanging some serious hopes on I Wanna Dance With Somebody, putting together a creative team with strong track-records and incorporating Pat Houston, representing the Houston estate, in the producing team. While a lot can change in a year, these scheduling announcements offer moviegoers an early look at next year's prestige lineup, and it will be interesting to see if these films live up to the expectations of their release dates.
Source: Sony Pictures