Woody Allen is presumably back in the awards game with his latest film Wonder Wheel. According to Variety, Allen’s new resident distributor Amazon Studios has set the release of his 2017 project for a limited debut on December 1. The film will be going up against James Franco’s bizarre dramedy The Disaster Artist, as well as the animated Coco from the previous weekend, and Guillermo del Toro’s Shape of Water in the following weekend.
Wonder Wheel stars Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, and Jim Belushi in a romantic comedy taking place at Coney Island in the 1950s. The film’s logline reveals that the story will contain “larger than life characters, lovers, infidelity, and gangsters.”
Allen’s last appearance in Oscar chatter was for Blue Jasmine in 2013 when Cate Blanchett took away the award for Best Actress. Allen’s individual wins in the past have been for Midnight in Paris (2012), Hannah and Her Sisters (1987), and Annie Hall (1978). With their first collaboration, Cafe Society, raking in $43.8 million last year, it looks like Amazon is willing to take even bigger chances on the filmmaker moving forward. Oscars or not, Allen has been known to no longer attend awards season events or functions.
Last year the studio had sizable gains after its films Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman both took home Academy Awards. This year, they will also be releasing the Sundance hit The Big Sick and Todd Haynes’ highly anticipated Wonderstruck.
Leave a Comment