We have one less Oscar contender this year. Neon has bumped the Chloe Domont-directed “A Place in Hell,” moving it from a Christmas Day release to April 23, 2027.
What caused the delay? Probably Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” which Neon recently picked up after it was left without a distributor and is rumored to be targeting a late December release.
Back in 2023, Netflix had a chart-topping hit with Domont’s “Fair Play,” starring Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor. The erotic Wall Street thriller premiered at Sundance to rave reviews before being acquired by the streamer for $20 million.
Domont’s latest, “A Place in Hell,” stars Michelle Williams, Andrew Scott, and Daisy Edgar-Jones. It was originally positioned for a potential awards-season run with its Christmas Day release. Not anymore.
It certainly doesn’t help that Scott is currently flooded with advanced Oscar buzz for his lead turn in Simon Stone’s “Elsinore,” set to premiere at a number of fall festivals.
Described as a thriller, “A Place in Hell” has been testing very well. The consensus? Michelle Williams steals the show with a fiery, fully villainous performance, playing a protagonist who pushes the audience’s sympathy to its limits. The film’s tone is said to blend “Gone Girl” and “Nightcrawler,” leaning into dark, morally ambiguous territory. Daisy Edgar-Jones also delivers a standout performance, particularly in one intense scene with Williams that is both unsettling and memorable.
Synopsis: “A cutthroat criminal defense attorney (Williams), on the verge of making partner, sees her ambitions upended when a younger lawyer (Edgar-Jones) is brought in to replace her. As rivalry escalates into a battle for control, the two women push one another to dangerous extremes.”
Neon, which primarily acquires films at prestige festivals, has only a handful of self-financed titles slated for theatrical release this year. Domont’s film was acquired shortly after production wrapped. Excluding its Sundance and Cannes acquisitions, Neon also has Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” Chloe Okuno’s “Brides,” and Osgood Perkins’ “The Young People,” all currently expected to hit theaters in fall 2026.
Oh, Sebastian Stan … he tells Variety that walking onto the set of "The Batman: Part II" gives him the feeling that he might be making "The Godfather: Part II." His exact words.