Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will partner in releasing Wonderstruck, the latest feature from director Todd Haynes. Variety reported on Wednesday that the period drama will open in theaters on October 20th, floating the possibility that film – an adaptation of Brian Selznick’s novel – perhaps may find place in the awards conversation come the end of the year. Wonderstruck will make its world premiere this month at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where the film will play in competition and will contend for the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Set in two time periods, Wonderstruck, the film may be the most ambitious to date for Haynes. In one strand, set in 1927, a woman named Rose (Amy Hargreaves, Homeland) runs away from her life in New Jersey for a chance to glimpse her idol, Lillian Mayhew (played by Oscar winner Julianne Moore, who memorably collaborated with Haynes on Far From Heaven and Safe previously). In the second time period, young boy named Ben (Oakes Fegley, Pete’s Dragon) drifts off to New York to find his father following the death of his mother; that story is set in 1977.
Michelle Williams (who appeared in Haynes’ I’m Not There), Cory Michael Smith (who co-starred in Carol for the director) and newcomer Millicent Simmonds co-star in the film. Selznick penned the screenplay, adapted from his illustrated novel; Selznick previously penned The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which served as the basis for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Hugo.
Wonderstruck comes off the tremendous critical success of Haynes’ 2015 period romance Carol, a film which earned six Oscar nominations including a pair of nods for leads Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. He previously directed I’m Not There, Far From Heaven, Safe, Velvet Goldmine and the acclaimed HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet.
Wonderstruck would mark the sixth film in which Amazon and Roadside have collaborated on – their biggest joint success so far was last year’s Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea (co-starring Williams); they also saw success with art-house hits like Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq and Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship. They will release Wonderstruck starting in limited release on October 20th, with a wide run expected sometime in mid-November.
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