Upcoming ensemble comedy She’s Funny That Way, whose stars include Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, recently lost and then found a distributor. After Clarius Entertainment pulled out for undisclosed reasons, Lionsgate Premiere quickly snapped up the opportunity. The release of She’s Funny That Way later this summer will be the first for the new specialty label from Lionsgate.
Launched this past spring, as part of what the studio called its “continued diversification of its portfolio of films,” Lionsgate Premiere will produce 15 films a year. The titles it releases will come from both the Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment labels, which have produced giants such as The Hunger Games and Twilight. Lionsgate Premiere’s movies will be released in theaters, but also across various digital platforms in an effort to explore innovative release strategies. Originally, the intent was for Dragon Blade, a movie starring Jackie Jan, Adrien Brody, and John Cusack to be its debut. However, that changed when She’s Funny That Way became available. The comedy joins a lineup that includes a variety of horror and action titles — Cooties, Don Verdean, Knock Knock, and Extraction. Its addition adds both variety and star power to the label.
Written and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, the upcoming comedy features a talented cast. Wilson and Aniston are joined by Rhys Ifans, Kathryn Hahn, Cybill Shepherd, Will Forte, and Lucy Punch. The flick will explore the mess that’s created when a married Broadway director (Wilson) ends up casting a call girl (Imogen Poots) with whom he’s already acquainted — all while the producion’s star (Ifans) is after his wife (Hahn). The tangled situation will be comically unraveled, with the trailer showing characters left and right getting slaps to the face.
Lionsgate Premiere has set She’s Funny That Way release date for August 14.