I’m sure Ben Affleck, who has had personal issues with sobriety over the years, couldn’t have asked for a better comeback narrative than what he’s trying to pull off with “The Way Back.” (which shouldn’t be confused with Peter Weir’s 2011 movie of the same name)
Director Gavin O’Connor, who’s worked before with Affleck on “The Accountant,” casts the actor as a former basketball all-star who loses his wife and family due to addiction. When he becomes the coach of a multicultural high school basketball team at his alma mater, well, what else did you expect, he sees it as a chance at redemption knocking at his door.
It may sound hokey but O’Connor (“Warrior,” “Miracle,” “McFarland”) is no slouch at feel-good family sports dramas. The trailer (below) does pique my interest, maybe we’re in for an early 2020 sleeper hit. Affleck—credited as co-producer on the movie—stars alongside Janina Gavankar (“The Mysteries of Laura” & “Sleepy Hollow), Al Madrigal (“The Daily Show” & “About A Boy”), Hayes MacArthur (“Angie Tribeca”), and Rachael Carpani (“Against the Wall”).
Of note, this is a bad title, solely for the fact that Peter Weir’s “The Way Back” was released in 2010 and Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s “The Way Way Back” was released in 2013. I don’t know what it is about this title that producers keep going back to, but enough already.’
“The Way Back”—distributed by Warner Bros.—is set to premiere in the U.S. on March 6, 2020.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.