Universal Pictures’ “Distant,” a sci-fi drama directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, wrapped shooting in November 2020. Sadly, it failed to garner a release over the last five years. Universal has been sitting on this film for almost five years—until now.
The film has quietly appeared on Disney+ and HULU. It has consequently been dumped on streaming, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, especially if you are familiar with the chaotic history behind this film. Hey, at least it hasn’t been shelved.
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.
Universal Pictures originally scheduled the film for theatrical release on March 11, 2022, then 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 that date was also eventually nixed.
Why the delay? Well, quite simply, Universal didn’t believe it was a good movie, and they had absolutely no idea what to do with it. In fact, the only country that had acquired “Distant” for theatrical release was Vietnam, where it was released in July 2024—and barely anybody bought a ticket to see it.
I’m not entirely sure how Universal managed to strike a deal with Disney to dump it on their streaming service, but job well done. Regardless, the film can now be seen.
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