The Hank Williams biopic is dodging other Oscar-worthy films and giving time to its lead star to properly promote the movie for wide release.
- Oct 17, 2015
AceShowbiz - Sony Pictures Classics really wants a bigger chance for Tom Hiddleston to win an Oscar, and the only way is delaying it. "I Saw the Light", in which Hiddleston plays legendary singer Hank Williams, is pulled out of next year's awards season.
The biopic is moved from its original November 28, 2015 date to March 25, 2016. It will now open against Warner Bros. Pictures' "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", Universal's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" and Fox's "Keeping Up with the Joneses". SPC would be able to release the trailer with Christmas releases.
The step is also taken to ensure that Hiddleston has enough time to promote the movie. The actor is currently tied to filming WB's "Kong: Skull Island".
"We looked at the landscape and are making a decision that I think is a good one for the film," Sony's Co-President Tom Bernard told Deadline. "Tom Hiddleston's got three movies out potentially so the press is consuming him. I am watching him here in New York everywhere. And he's going back down the river to catch the monkey. What we saw was 'I Saw The Light' up against the wall in this tight race of people throwing their Oscar movies out, and it's almost all or nothing."
"I Saw the Light" premiered at last month's Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews for both Hiddleston and his co-star Elizabeth Olsen. Written and directed by Marc Abraham, the movie is based on Colin Escott's "Hank Williams: The Biography" which recounts the country singer's childhood poverty and his hard-earned fame.
