Ron Howard’s “Alone at Dawn,” an adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz, wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since.
Some wondered if it might arrive this year, but its absence from the fall festivals and continued lack of a release date suggest Amazon/MGM may be holding it for next year.
Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway star in Howard’s film. Driver, a former Marine and Oscar-nominated actor, has finally found a military-themed project that feels like a full-circle moment in his career. He plays John Chapman, an Air Force combat controller who gave his life during the War in Afghanistan while saving 23 fellow soldiers—a sacrifice that earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor.
The screenplay was written by TV veteran Michael Russell Gunn (“The Newsroom”), with earlier drafts contributed by Erin Cressida Wilson (“Secretary”) and Amy Herzog (“Scenes From A Marriage”).
TheInSneider has now posted a rave reaction from one of his sources, who caught a near-finished cut of “Alone at Dawn” with only some CGI polish remaining. The source believes the film could be a Best Picture nominee whenever it is released.
Amazon/MGM has reportedly been testing two cuts of the film, with audience response said to be very strong. Could that be why the studio is holding it? Amazon/MGM appears to be quite bullish on the Oscar prospects of “Project Hail Mary” and “I Play Rocky,” and may simply want to give Howard’s film the proper awards-season runway rather than have it compete with those two titles.
The story moves back and forth through time, reflecting its investigative structure. Hathaway plays an intelligence officer tasked with examining Chapman’s actions and determining whether his heroism merits the Medal of Honor. Betty Gilpin—“fantastic,” according to the review—plays his wife, and she shares a terrific scene with Driver in which she asks him a deceptively simple question: If he ever finds himself caught in the line of fire, will he choose his family or his country? Which one needs him more?
The review raves about Driver’s performance, saying he “will change how you see him as an actor.” Hathaway is equally impressive, bringing real emotional weight to the film and making a strong case for an awards-season run.
For Howard, “Alone at Dawn” comes after his struggles to find a distributor for his last film, “Eden,” which was finally released theatrically by Vertical last August. It also arrives just three years after Amazon/MGM dumped his well-received “Thirteen Lives” onto Prime Video. Hopefully, they won’t make the same mistake with this one.
Howard, who wowed Oscar voters with “Apollo 13,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Frost/Nixon,” and impressed me with “Cinderella Man”—still his best film—hasn’t had a commercial hit since 2013’s “Rush.” Has his stock crumbled? Not quite yet. Teaming up with Driver and Hathaway is a big deal, and “Alone at Dawn” could be the film that reminds audiences—and Hollywood—of what he can still do.
Some wondered if it might arrive this year, but its absence from the fall festivals and continued lack of a release date suggest Amazon/MGM may be holding it for next year.