James Franco’s ‘The Disaster Artist’ Nabs Awards-Friendly Release Date From A24 Films

James Franco’s The Disaster Artist – behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Room, a midnight cult fave and “worst movie ever” – has nabbed a release date, and a new distributor. Variety reports the film, in which Franco stars, directed and produced, has been picked up by A24 Films and will open in theaters this December – first in limited engagements on December 1st, followed by national expansion on December 8th.

A24 Films is partnering with New Line on the all-star project, with New Line parent Warner Bros. handling overseas distribution (release dates worldwide have yet to be confirmed), and marks a pivot on the film which started out squarely at Warner Bros. There were rumblings in recent weeks that the film may have felt better suited for a smaller outfit, such as A24.

The news comes shortly after a work in progress screening premiered at South by Southwest earlier this year, where The Disaster Artist was enthusiastically received and earned standing ovation following its screening. Early reviews have thus far been quite kind with Variety‘s Peter Debruge writing the film “[Boasts] a genuine capacity to delight, whether or not the audiences in question have seen The Room” and The Hollywood Reporter‘s Michael Rechtshaffen writing the movie, “Strikes a giddy, winning balance between hilarity and heart.”

The Disaster Artist stars Franco as Tommy Wiseau, the writer/director of the infamous bad movie, and features an eclectic ensemble cast that includes brother Dave Franco, Zoey Deutch, Zac Efron, Kristen Bell, Allison Brie, Bryan Cranston, Lizzy Caplan, Sharon Stone and Seth Rogen. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber – writers of (500) Days of Summer and The Spectacular Now – penned the screenplay based on the novel by Tom Bissell and Greg Sestero.

Following the film’s reception out of SXSW, early murmurs of awards talk began to trickle out in the trades. In for nothing else, the film’s December release confirms at the very least a confidence in the project. The Disaster Artist hits theaters this December.