Warner Bros. has announced release dates for three of its upcoming films: George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel titled “Furiosa”; a musical adaptation of “The Color Purple”; and the family film “Coyote vs. Acme.” All three films will make their theaters in 2023.
“Furiosa,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, is set for June 23rd. Live-action / animated hybrid “Coyote vs. Acme” debuts on July 21, and “The Color Purple” is released around the holiday on December 20.
Earlier in December, Warner Bros. shared. plans to premiere its entire slate from 2021 – including “The Matrix 4”, “Dune” and “The Suicide Squad” – simultaneously on the company’s streaming service HBO Max and in cinemas. The study called the unprecedented release strategy, one that attracted criticism from all corners of Hollywood, a “unique one-year” model in response to the pandemic. Wednesday’s announcement suggests that Warner Bros. intends to continue its involvement in theatrical releases.
Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II join Taylor-Joy in “Furiosa,” which takes place before 2015’s sci-fi epic “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Miller, the filmmaker behind 1979’s “Mad Max” and its three sequels, returns to direct, write and produce “Furiosa” with his longtime production partner Doug Mitchell.
Dave Green directs “Coyote vs. Acme,” centered on the age-old rivalry between Wile E. Coyote and his favorite mail order supplier. “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn co-wrote the script, based on Ian Frazier’s fictional New Yorker magazine article of the same name. Chris DeFaria and Gunn will produce, the latter under his company Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey production banner.
“The Color Purple” is adapted from the Tony-winning musical and the 1985 film. Blitz Bazawule is leading the upcoming version, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. The film, which has not yet been cast, tells the story of Celie, a black woman living in the South in the early 20th century who learns her self-worth with the help of two friends.
Spielberg directed the original film adaptation of “The Color Purple” in the ’80s, starring Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg and Winfrey. The coming-of-age story, adapted from Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, became a Broadway musical in 2005.