Jonathan Krisel to Direct Sesame Street Movie

Sesame Street Movie Set for Summer 2021 Release Date

July 17, 2019

After a production delay, Warner Bros. has moved the release date for the upcoming Sesame Street from January 15, 2021 to a prime summer release on June 4, 2021.

RELEATED: Anne Hathaway’s Sesame Street Film Production Delayed Until April 2020

Portlandia director and co-creator Jonathan Krisel (Baskets, Kroll Show) will be directing the live-action Sesame Street musical based the educational series that premiered in 1969 on PBS and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morriset. The show features a combination of live-action and puppetry, as well as animation. It is best known as the home of Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, and Elmo, all created by Jim Henson.

The film, which will star Anne Hathaway (Ocean’s 8), will follow Big Bird and his friends as they find themselves mysteriously transported to Manhattan and seemingly unable to return to their homes on Sesame Street and team up with a history show host to save her series from cancellation and to prove the existence of the childhood favorites’ home to the world, all while avoiding an evil mayor attempting to thwart their efforts.

The studio has also given the Michael B. Jordan legal drama Just Mercy a Christmas Day limited release, putting it in a prime position to compete during awards season.

Just Mercy will be based on Bryan Stevenson’s best-selling memoir of the same name. The story follows world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Stevenson (Jordan) as he recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner whom he fought to free. The true story is one of redemption, passion, and mercy set against a backdrop of a corrupt judicial system which favors the death penalty and targets the poor.

The feature film is directed by Destin Cretton who have previously worked with Larson in the films: Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle. Just Mercy is co-written by Andrew Lanham (Glass Castle) and Cretton. Gil Netter, Asher Goldstein, and Jordan are the film’s producers. The project was originally being produced by Broad Green Pictures but was transferred to Warner Bros.

Production on Just Mercy is set to begin next month in Atlanta.

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