After initially being pushed back for a 2021 theatrical release, Paramount Pictures is shifting gears on the Dylan O’Brien-starring post-apocalyptic adventure Love and Monsters, formerly titled Monster Problems, and setting it for a premium VOD release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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“Given the demand for new, high-quality entertainment right now, Paramount has decided to release Love and Monsters widely on digital platforms,” Paramount COO Andrew Gumpert said in a statement. “While we eagerly look forward to the reopening of movie theaters, we wanted to make this original and imaginative film available for everyone to enjoy at home.”
Originally scheduled for March and April 2020 releases, the film was last delayed to February 2021 but has now been set for an October 16 release on VOD and digital platforms for a 48-hour rental period at $20, with some platforms offering early digital purchase for $25.
Monster Problems will be directed and written by Michael Matthews with Shawn Levy set to produce through his 21 Laps banner. The project is said to be a coming-of-age story that will center around a road trip with a young man living in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters. The film is likened to both Mad Max and Zombieland with John Hughes overtones.
The film will also star Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist) as Aimee, Arianna Greenblatt (Avengers: Infinity War) as Minnow, and Dan Ewing (Occupation) as Cap. Rooker will be playing the role of expert hunter Clyde, who will serve as Joel Dawson’s (O’Brien) mentor on how to survive the Monster Apocalypse.
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The spec script arrives from Brian Duffield who also wrote Jane Got a Gun. Levy jumped onboard the property way back in 2012, and the project has since lingered in Development Hell.
Matthews directed the South African Western thriller Five Fingers for Marseilles about the young ‘Five Fingers’ who fought for the rural town of Marseilles, against brutal police oppression twenty years ago.
