Tom Hanks-Led ‘News Of The World’ May Debut Internationally On Netflix
News of the Worldmay reach the rest of the world before it reaches the States. The Paul Greengrass period drama starringTom Hanksis currently working through a deal that would give its overseas distribution to Netflix, which would release the film on its streaming service internationally. Universal is still planning to release the film theatrically in the U.S. this December.
Deadline reports that Universal is currently making a deal to give the overseas distribution ofNews of the Worldto Netflix, which would release the film to international markets straight through its streaming service.
This isn’t an unusual tactic even in pre-COVID times. Films that studios thought might not be commercial success, like Paramount’sAnnihilation, would be handed Netflix for international distribution to avoid taking too much of a hit at the box office. But this may become more of a common tactic as many U.S. theaters remain closed amid rising coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. Paramount has already done so withThe SpongeBobMovie, andNews of the Worldmay be next.
Why only an overseas Netflix debut? Universal seems to be holding out for a 2020 theatrical release to ensure thatNews of the Worldis an Oscar contender, with awards season beginning to ramp up in the coming months. The Netflix deal will keep it eligible for BAFTAs abroad, but it gives the film a bigger global audience, Deadline notes.
But U.S. audiences might still get to seeNews of the Worldsooner than expected, thanks to the theatrical windowdeal that Universal struck up with AMC, allowing the theater-only run to be reduced to three weeks.News of the Worldwill hit theaters onDecember 25, 2020, but can be released on PVOD as soon as 17 days later.
Based on the Paulette Giles novel,News of the Worldis directed by Greengrass, who wrote the script with Luke Davies. It stars Hanks, who reunites with hisCaptain Phillipsdirector, as a Civil War veteran who agrees to take a stranded girl back to her family in a long and arduous journey across hundreds of miles.
Five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas. However, the long journey soon turns into a fight for survival as the traveling companions encounter danger at every turn — both human and natural.
