Things are moving in Italy for Roman Polanski’s “The Palace.” The film wrapped production in June and now has an official theatrical release date set for April 6th. If “The Palace” keeps this date then that would mean no Cannes world premiere.
There is still no French distributor and no word on whether or not it was submitted to any film festival. If they’re going for an April launch then that would maybe mean Cannes and Venice said no to Polanski?
Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux already has the headache of including Woody Allen’s 50th movie, which is set in Paris and was shot in French. I don’t think he can say no to that one. It’s much “easier” saying no to Polanski given that the filmmaker’s reputation in France isn’t as positive as Allen’s these days. The Polish filmmaker is embroiled in a couple of sexual abuse allegations that have made him a marked man in that country.
We just have to be realistic here. It’s Polanski who caused major controversy during the 2020 Cesars awards when he won the Best Director prize for “An Officer And A Spy,” an incredible achievement that still hasn’t been released in the U.S. — his win forced the Cesars to make changes in their rules and regulations. Polanski is basically banned from attending any future ceremony of that awards show.
“The Palace” cost $17 million to make and stars John Cleese, Mickey Rourke and Fanny Ardant. The movie is said to take place at a palace in Gstaad on New Year’s Eve in 1999, with “Hotel guests coming from all over the world flock to the lavish dinner party, but the celebrations take an unexpected turn.”
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.