Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury and Audience Award winner “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is heading to theaters slightly earlier than expected. Fox Searchlight originally announced “Earl” would open in limited release on July 1. Now, the studio has reconsidered and the acclaimed dramedy will debut in limited release on June 12.
The new date actually puts “Earl” on the same opening day as another Sundance hit, “Dope,” although Open Road Films is making an eye-popping move by opening that film wide against expected blockbuster “Jurassic World.” “Earl” will now avoid opening in the same frame as Woody Allen's “Irrational Man” and Judd Apatow's “Trainwrecked” which could siphon some of its audience in key metro markets.
One thing is for sure, with a June release date Searchlight is going to need to get a trailer out sooner rather than later. That means a sneak peek for anyone who has been wondering what all the hype is about.
In other news…
– The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced Wednesday that Barbra Streisand has been selected to present Robert Redford with the 42nd Annual Chaplin Award in a ceremony set for April 27. The pair famously appeared in the classic romance “The Way We Were” and that film will be screened the week before the event along with other Redford favorites including “Quiz Show,” “The Candidate,” “Jeremiah Johnson” and “Ordinary People.” Jane Fonda, John Turturro and J.C. Chandor will also present at the Lincoln Center event.
– “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “Runner Runner” director Bryan Furman is now in production of his latest endeavor, “The Infiltrator.” Based on the true story of an undercover agent who set up a sting of the international criminal underworld, the '80s period piece stars Diane Kruger, Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Benjamin Bratt, Olympia Dukakis and Amy Ryan. The indie financed thriller is currently shooting in London before segueing to Florida at the end of next month. The film's production company, Good Films, released the first image of “Infiltrator” featuring Kruger and Cranston below.