Film News Roundup: Kristen Stewart Rom-Com ‘Happiest Season’ Backed by Entertainment One
In today’s film news roundup, Kristen Stewart’s “Happiest Season” gets backed, Sarah Hyland’s “The Wedding Season” is sold, “Apollo 11 – The Immersive Live Show” has a new cast and “Sleeping in Plastic” goes up for sale.
ROM-COM BACKING
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Entertainment One will co-finance TriStar’s holiday-themed romantic comedy “Happiest Season,” starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis.
The rom-com centers on a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner has not yet come out to her conservative parents.
TriStar has set a U.S. release date of Nov. 20, 2020. EOne will handle distribution for the United Kingdom and Canada with TriStar Pictures distributing in all other territories.
“Happiest Season” is scheduled to begin production in January with Clea DuVall directing from a script she wrote with Mary Holland.
ACQUISITION
Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures has acquired Lakeshore’s romantic comedy “The Wedding Year” for US domestic theatrical distribution in the fall.
Directed by Robert Luketic from Donald Diego’s script, “The Wedding Year” stars Sarah Hyland as photographer who has vowed never to get married — but is then invited to 15 weddings in a year along with her new ready-to-settle-down boyfriend (Tyler James Williams).
The ensemble cast also includes Keith David, Patrick Warburton, Tom Connolly, Grace Helbig, Wanda Sykes, Jenna Dewan, Anna Camp and Fred Grandy. The film was produced under Lakeshore’s Off The Dock label.
IMMERSIVE SHOW
Producers have set the cast for “Apollo 11 – The Immersive Live Show” for its world premiere in Los Angeles in July on the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, followed by an 18-city tour.
The cast includes Mike Bash, Rachel Cain, David Edelstein, Jackson Kendall, Brian Knudsen, Brianna McClellan, James McHale, Herb Mendelsohn, Pete Navis, Levi Petree, Christian Prentice, Dennis Renard, Dylan John Seaton, Jessie Sherman, Malachy Silva, Ken Stirbl, Tory Stolper, Tom Trudgeon, Nick Waaland and Tyler Marie Watkins.
The story of the 400,000 individuals it took to accomplish the mission is told through the eyes of a retired NASA aerospace engineer to his granddaughter.
SALES LAUNCH
Van Ditthavong’s feature directorial debut “Sleeping in Plastic” is launching sales at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film stars Alex MacNicoll, Addison Timlin, Corin Nemec, Nick Chinlund and Dash Mihok in a story set in a rural Texas town that is awakened when a high school wrestler gets entangled with a drifter and her psychopathic lover. Lives intertwine and spiral violently out of control when he becomes her escort driver and risks everything to save her.
The film is produced by Red Sanders and Derek D. Brown of Red Entertainment along with Ditthavong of goPOP FILMS, and executive produced by Igor Princ of Princ Films.
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