When upstart distributor Row K essentially collapsed earlier this year, it left a handful of already-purchased films and their theatrical fates hanging in the balance. Top of the list was Maude Apatow’s charming directorial debut, “Poetic License,” which debuted at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival to strong reviews.
Row K picked up the film out of the festival, but when the newbie distro began to face massive financial challenges in the first quarter of 2026, what would happen to the college-set dramedy became a major question mark. Consider this kerfuffle settled, as Sony Pictures Classics has stepped in and picked up the film. SPC plans to release the film in 2027. The news was first reported by Variety.
The film stars Apatow’s own mother Leslie Mann, plus rising stars Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nico Parker, and Maisy Stella, plus Martha Kelly, Will Price, and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.
Per SPC, the film “follows Liz (Mann), a former therapist and soon-to-be empty nester, who relocates to a new town for her husband’s job — a place where she doesn’t know a soul. Her quiet attempt to settle in takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the point of tension between two inseparable best friends and college seniors, Sam (Hoffman) and Ari (Barth Feldman). As their fierce competition for her attention threatens to upend their lives, Liz is pulled into a tangle of longing, self-discovery, and the intoxicating thrill of being truly seen — forcing her to confront the life she’s built and the one she still craves.”
“I grew up watching and loving the films released by Sony Pictures Classics. They shaped my understanding of what movies could be. To now be working alongside Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and the entire team is a dream come true,” said director Maude Apatow in a statement.
Apatow directs from a script by Raffi Donatich. Producers include Judd Apatow, Josh Church, Benjamin Hung for August Night, Thalia Daniel, Maude Apatow, Olivia Rosenbloom, and Will Greenfield. Executive producers include Jamal Daniel, Michelle Upton, Renee Witt, Harrison Kreiss, and Jay Cassidy.
The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and WME on behalf of the filmmakers and August Night.
