It’s been a long road for David Frankel’s character drama Collateral Beauty, though today Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have finally tacked on a release date to the Will Smith vehicle – December 16, 2016.
That’s a slot previously occupied by Chicken Soup for the Soul, an adaptation of the titular literary series, which has now been pushed into early 2017. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Collateral Beauty has been afforded some breathing room, though, given that Disney and Lucasfilm are set to unleash Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16, too.
That’s a tall order for Collateral Beauty, though Frankel’s feature has been quietly assembling a star-studded cast since emerging from a somewhat troubled production. Bringing together Helen Mirren, Edward Norton and Naomie Harris along with End of Watch and Ant-Man star Michael Peña, the director’s latest creative venture centers on a New York advertising executive (Smith) who succumbs to a crippling spell of a depression after a personal tragedy.
In order to help him land on his feet, Smith’s work colleagues set about devising an unconventional plan to lift him out of his emotional rut, but they’re left facing the fallout when their scheme backfires in the worst way imaginable. What exactly that plan is is still up for question, but Collateral Beauty has piqued our curiosity based on its ensemble alone.
David Frankel’s Collateral Beauty will go toe to toe with Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16. Granted, they’ll be targeting two relatively different audiences, though The Force Awakens did cast a tremendous shadow over December 2015’s box office figures.
Published: Feb 9, 2016 12:12 pm