Film News Roundup: Danny Boyle’s Comedy Moved Forward

In today’s film news roundup, Danny Boyle’s upcoming comedy has been moved forward, James Wan is producing a horror movie based on the short “Milk” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” is returning to theaters.

RELEASE DATE

Universal Pictures will move its untitled Danny Boyle comedy forward three months from Sept. 13, 2019, to June 28.

Lily James, Himesh Patel and Kate McKinnon star. Boyle, who dropped out of directing the James Bond 25 movie recently, is teaming with screenwriter Richard Curtis, whose credits include “Love Actually” and “Notting Hill.” The story focuses on a struggling musician, played by Patel, and is set in the 1960s and 1970s.

Boyle and Curtis are also producing along with Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Matt Wilkinson and Bernie Bellew. Nick Angel and Lee Brazier serve as executive producers.

The film will open against Paramount’s Tiffany Haddish comedy “Limited Partners” and Fox’s untitled Ford vs. Ferrari movie, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Boyle won the Academy Award for directing “Slumdog Millionaire.” He also directed “127 Hours,” “Shallow Grave,” “28 Days Later” and “Steve Jobs.”

HORROR PROJECT

“Aquaman” director James Wan has signed on to produce a feature adaptation of Santiago Menghini‘s horror short film “Milk” for New Line.

Menghini will direct from a script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. Wan will produce alongside his Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, as well as Good Fear.

“Milk” was awarded the Midnight Shorts Jury Award earlier this year at SXSW. The story follows a sheltered young teen with an overbearing mother who begins to suspect his reality is not as it seems.

Wan produced the five-film Conjuring franchise, which has grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide. The news was first reported by Collider.

MR. SMITH RETURNS

Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies will present Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” in more than 600 theaters nationwide on Oct. 14 and 17, three weeks before the mid-term elections.

The 1939 film, which made Jimmy Stewart into a major star, will play at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (local time) each day, and will include pre- and post-show commentary by TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz.

“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture, best director (Capra), best actor (Stewart), best screenplay (Sidney Buchman), and best supporting actor (Claude Rains and Harry Carey). Lewis R. Foster took home the Academy Award for best original story. In 1989, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry, which called it “a dramatic tale concerned with the values of a modern western state and, more broadly, a perilous moment for western civilization.”

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