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Maude Apatow Directorial Debut ‘Poetic License’ Lands at Sony Pictures Classics After Row K Debacle (EXCLUSIVE)
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Maude Apatow's directorial debut, "Poetic License", has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, bringing a resolution to months of uncertainty after its original distributor, Row K Entertainment, collapsed under unpaid bills and staff departures earlier this year. The deal marks a strong vote of confidence in Apatow's first feature, which had been left in limbo when Row K's difficulties, first reported by Variety in March, forced a release date shuffle and prompted sales agency WME Independent to take the project back to market. Sony Pictures Classics, the studio behind "Call Me By Your Name", has taken worldwide rights and will release the film in 2027.
The comedy-drama premiered to strongly positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and stars Apatow's mother, Leslie Mann, alongside Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman. It follows a former therapist, played by Mann, who relocates to a new town and becomes an unexpected object of rivalry between two inseparable best friends, drawing her into questions of longing and self-discovery. Apatow directed from a script by Raffi Donatich, with producers including her father Judd Apatow, and both she and SPC executives praised the partnership, with Apatow calling it "a dream come true" to work with the studio whose films shaped her own understanding of cinema.
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In short
- Sony Pictures Classics acquires Maude Apatow's debut film "Poetic License"
- Deal follows collapse of original distributor Row K Entertainment
- Film starring Leslie Mann and Cooper Hoffman releases in 2027
How this story developed
- 3 months ago Maude Apatow's directorial debut, "Poetic License", has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, bringing an end to months of uncertainty after its original distributor, Row K Entertainment, collapsed under unpaid bills and staff departures earlier this year.
- 3 months ago Maude Apatow's directorial debut "Poetic License" has found a new home at Sony Pictures Classics, resolving months of uncertainty after original distributor Row K Entertainment collapsed amid unpaid bills and staff departures.
- 3 months ago Maude Apatow's directorial debut, "Poetic License", has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, bringing a resolution to months of uncertainty after its original distributor, Row K Entertainment, collapsed under unpaid bills and staff departures earlier this year.
Explained simply
Poetic License is the first film directed by Maude Apatow, daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow and actor Leslie Mann, who also stars in it alongside Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman. It is a comedy-drama about a former therapist who moves for her husband's career and finds herself drawn into the rivalry of two close friends, both vying for her attention. The film debuted to warm reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, but its release stalled after original distributor Row K Entertainment ran into financial trouble and shed staff earlier this year.
Row K's collapse, first reported in March, left the film without a distributor and forced sales agency WME Independent to seek a new buyer. That search has ended with Sony Pictures Classics, a studio known for acclaimed independent and foreign-language films such as Call Me By Your Name, acquiring worldwide rights and setting a 2027 release.
The story matters both as a notable step in Apatow's transition from actor to director and as an example of the disruption that can follow when a distributor collapses mid-release, leaving finished films in limbo until a new backer steps in.