It’s been a long road to getCollateral Beautyup and running for a 2016 release date. First, the film looked to beAlfonso Gomez-Rejon’s official follow-up toMe and Earl and the Dying Girl, a film that was quite inventive but blatantly sentimental in a memorably cheap way. The subject matter ofCollateral Beauty, which revolves around the downward emotional spiral of a New York City ad executive (Will Smith), would seemingly be a good match for the director, similarly dealing with a mounting sense of dread and plenty of gallows humor. Soon enough, however, Gomez-Rejon was off the project, reportedly due to creative differences, and the film was punted over toDavid Frankel, the man behindThe Devil Wears Pradaand (shudder)Marley & Me. In comparison to the cheesy, mildly funny melodramas of Frankel, Gomez-Rejon is a regularJohn Cassavetes.
Now comes an even bigger hurdle for the drama, which co-starsRachel McAdams,Helen Mirren, andEdward Norton.As THR reports, the film’s release date has been set as December 16th. That release date might sound familiar if you follow the release calendar: that would be the day thatRogue One: A Star Wars Storywill be released. A promising off-shoot of theStar Warssaga,Rogue Onesports not only a cast that includesMads Mikkelsen,Felicity Jones,Forrest Whitaker, and the greatBen Mendelsohn, but also hasGareth Edwards, the man who turnedGodzillainto a work of mortal investigation and aesthetic beauty, at the helm of the project, which revolves around the theft of the Death Star blueprints.
Even if the film was going to be directed byMcGthough, being matched up against anyStar Warsmovie is nobody’s idea of a picnic. Sure,Collateral Beautywould be the presumed prime alternative for those who are not fans of Star Wars, new or old, but the pedigree doesn’t suggest much more than a visually bland film with an incredibly talented cast. Of course, Frankel might very surprise us -The Devil Wears Pradais enjoyable in a indifferent, passable sort of way - and Smith is such a tremendous performer that he could very well make the price of admission worth it…after you seeRogue One.
