Instead of going the delayed theatrical release route that's permeated headlines amid the COVID-19 era for other major studio productions, hotly anticipated new movies from Seth Rogen and Pete Davidson will instead take the arguably wiser approach of heading straight to your home.
First up is Rogen's An American Pickle, the story for which sounds fucking incredible. As the Hollywood Reporterexplained Monday, HBO Max has secured the global rights for the movie from Sony Pictures for a release on the streaming platform this summer under the Warner Max banner. While Sony didn't have a firm release date, per the report, it was expected to be theatrically released later this year.
Pickle marks an adaptation of the New Yorker series Sell Out by Simon Rich, with direction handled by Brandon Trost. Rogen, as he detailed in an IG post, stars as an immigrant in 1920s New York who falls into a vat of pickles:
Meanwhile, the Davidson-starring The King of Staten Island was originally slated for a global premiere at this year's ultimately canceled SXSW festival in March. The movie was then set for a Tribeca Film Festival premiere this month, though that event was postponed due to COVID-19.
Now, as Davidson and director Judd Apatow revealed in a FaceTime announcement shared to Universal Pictures' social channels, the comedy—built from a screenplay by Davidson, Apatow, and Dave Sirus—will hit VOD on June 12.
While this is surely not the rollout the filmmakers behind either movie had in mind, it's safe to say both releases will easily find their audiences.
