Hulu has reportedly acquired distribution rights Lee Daniels’ The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. The film is set to debut just in time for Oscar season consideration with a theatrical release on January 26, 2021 from Paramount. according to the Deadline article that broke the news, the movies original studio -Melrose Ave Studios – never reached a full agreement on the films release and nothing has been confirmed if a theatrical release from Paramount is apart of the deal with Hulu.
Though it’s not confirmed, it can also be assumed that Hulu will qualify the movie for awards season. The films financier, New Slate Ventures, is responsible for the sale to Hulu rather than Paramount. The deal with the streamer comes from the U.S.’s rocky theater climate due to Covid-19. Producing the film are Lee Daniels Entertainment, New Slate Ventures, Roth Kirschenbaum Films alongside Jordan Fudge, Lee Daniels, Pamela Oas Williams, Tucker Tooley, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum. Hilary Shor, Jeremy Allen, Patty Long, Johann Hari, Cassian Elwes, Mark Bomback and Dennis Stratton are executive producing.
In The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, singer Andra Day plays the famous jazz singer as she has a run in with the Federal Department of Narcotics. The singer was the subject of an undercover sting operation led by Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), with whom she was involved in a turbulent romance. Starring alongside Day and the Moonlight star are Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The Daniels directed pic is based on the Johann Hari novel Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, with Susan Lori-Parks responsible for the screenplay.
Loading…