Melissa McCarthy‘s new comedy Superintelligence was scheduled to hit cinemas this Christmas. However, plans have changed. The film will no longer even have a theatrical release, and it will now be released on HBO Max when the platform launches in Spring 2020.
In an interview with Deadline, McCarthy said the idea for the move came from her husband and director Ben Falcone, and that it was not forced on them by Warner Bros. The studio reportedly backed the decision and has been nothing but encouraging.
“We used the A.I. from Superintelligence to look at every single platform in the world, and then used its super knowledge and big artificial brain-like thing to determine that HBO Max was the right home for our film”, said McCarthy and Falcone in a joint statement.
It may be true that it was Falcone’s idea to move the film, but it’s still a clear sign that, as the Streaming Wars intensify, any movie that isn’t a surefire moneymaker is a candidate to be reassigned to HBO Max. And while it might seem surprising to dump a film with a big star like McCarthy on a new streaming platform, McCarthy hasn’t been the box office hit she was in the past in recent years.
She’s had notable flops such as The Happytime Murders and The Kitchen recently. Even her Oscar nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? only helped the film to a measly $8 million at the US box office. It’s great that McCarthy was expanding her range with some different roles, but unfortunately Hollywood pretty much only speaks in dollars.
In Superintelligence, McCarthy plays Carol Peters, a woman who’s had nothing extraordinary ever happen to her. But soon her TV, phone and microwave start talking back to her, and she thinks she’s losing her mind. In fact, the world’s first superintelligence has selected her for observation, and is taking over her life (with a bigger, more ominous plan to take over everything, obviously).
Carol is now humanity’s last chance before this artificial intelligence decides to pull the plug. If you’re wondering whether Warner Bros. sees the irony in putting a film that sounds anti-AI on a streaming service likely to incorporate AI in the future (if not already), they could not be reached for comment.
Bobby Cannavale, Brian Tyree Henry and Jean Smart co-star in the film, while James Corden voices the A.I. itself. Steve Mallory, who previously wrote another McCarthy vehicle The Boss, penned the script.
HBO Max’s chief content officer Kevin Reilly said of the project: “This is the perfect high concept comedy with an artist we all love to work with, and shows the top caliber of talent we’re bringing to HBO Max”. We’ll wait and see if Superintelligence moves the needle when it comes to luring in subscribers come Spring 2020.
McCarthy recently wrapped filming on Ted Melfi‘s indie movie The Starling, while she’s currently filming the action-comedy Thunder Force alongside Octavia Spencer for HBO Max rival, Netflix. She’s also on board to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
#Peace.Love.Superintelligence
