Universal Pictures’ “Distant,” a sci-fi drama directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, wrapped shooting in November 2020. Sadly, it still hasn’t been released. Universal has been sitting on this film now for almost four years.
The film, starring Anthony Ramos, Naomi Scott, and Zachary Quinto, tackles a spaceship that crash lands on an alien planet. The pilot survives and connects via radio with a fellow crew member who, trapped inside her escape pod, guides him to search for and rescue her.
“Distant” currently does not have a U.S. release date. Universal Pictures originally scheduled the film for March 11, 2022, September 16, 2022, and later January 27, 2023, before removing it entirely from its release schedule. At one point, Amblin's website listed it for January 19, 2024, but in November 2023, it removed it from the schedule.
Why the delay? Well, quite simply, Universal doesn’t believe it’s a good movie, and they have absolutely no idea what to do with it. Why not just dump it on VOD somewhere? In fact, the only country that’s acquired “Distant” for theatrical is Vietnam, where it was released this past July, and barely anybody bought a ticket to see it.