The Warner Bros. hybrid theatrical/streaming release model for its entire 2021 film slate will be tested out again in late January. If you remember, the Warner deal was to open their new releases in theaters on the same day they become available to stream on the streaming service HBO Max for 31 days.
“Wonder Woman 1984” is currently the guinea pig of this experiment, testing out the strategy with its Christmas release, and soon after comes “The Little Things,” a psychological crime thriller from director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks). Hancock has been a hired-hand filmmaker for a few decades now in the industry, a big-studio filmmaker the major studios can count on to deliver old-school chops. His resume is quite decent and includes his uber-underrated 2016 film about the start of Mcdonald’s, “The Founder.”
“The Little Things” stars three Oscar winners: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. The film, written by Hancock, has Washington and Malek as rival Los Angeles cops investigating a grisly murder. Leto’s character is the prime suspect. The supporting cast includes Natalie Morales, Terry Kinney, Chris Bauer, Joris Jarsky, Isabel Arraiza, and Michael Hyatt.
“Denzel Washington, to me, he’s my Brando, Pacino, De Niro all rolled up into one,” Leto recently told Entertainment Weekly about joining the film. “The opportunity to work with him, I couldn’t pass that up. And then on top of that, Rami, the icing on the cake, a force to be reckoned with, and someone I was really excited to spend time with.”
If you remember, the NYT released their list of the 25 best current-day actors and one of the few things they got right on that list was putting Denzel high atop their rankings, in fact, he finished at the #1 spot. Denzel is a legendary cinematic figure, but consider me shocked that he’s turning 66 years old next week. What?! The guy looks like he’s in his early 50s. Then again, he’s been around since his stunning turn in 1984’s “A Soldier’s Story,” and then the great performances just rolled out; “Glory,” “Malcolm X,” “The Hurricane,” “Training Day,” “American Gangster,” “Fences,” just to name the essentials.
“The Little Things” will open in theaters and stream on HBO Max on January 29, 2021. It looks like a typical ’90s crime-thriller, but I’ll watch just about anything starring Denzel. Count me in. Watch the trailer for the film below:
I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of looking forward to the “Michael” sequel. Whether Vantoine directs it or John Logan, it doesn’t matter—it’s an inevitable sh*tshow that will result from its making and release.