# Maude Apatow Directorial Debut ‘Poetic License’ Lands at Sony Pictures Classics After Row K Debacle (EXCLUSIVE)

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/maude-apatow-directorial-debut-poetic-license-lands-at-sony-pictures-classics-after-row-k-debacle-exclusive/
- Published: 2026-08-04T17:00:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-04T23:13:01+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/maude-apatow-poetic-license-sony-pictures-classics-row-k-1236827137/
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- 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

## Summary

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.

## Coverage

- [Variety: Maude Apatow Directorial Debut ‘Poetic License’ Lands at Sony Pictures Classics After Row K Debacle (EXCLUSIVE)](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/maude-apatow-poetic-license-sony-pictures-classics-row-k-1236827137/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Maude Apatow Directorial Debut ‘Poetic License’ Lands at Sony Classics After Row K Debacle](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/poetic-license-maude-apatow-sony-classics-1236607104/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.