‘A Monster Calls’ Film Updates: Fantasy Drama Featuring Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones Delayed for Christmas Release in Time for Awards Season; Scheduled to Premiere at TIFF

‘A Monster Calls’ is an upcoming fantasy-drama featuring Liam Neeson and Felicity Jones. The film has been delayed for a Christmas release in time for the upcoming awards season. It is also scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

According to Hit Fix, director J.A. Bayona’s upcoming fantasy-drama film based on the 2011 novel of the same name authored by Patrick Ness was originally scheduled to be released on October 21, 2016 but has been delayed for a Christmas opening in time for the awards season.

The new film is scheduled for a December 23 limited release in ten selected cities and will expand to other theaters by January 2017.

It will follow a young boy who struggles with his mother’s terminal illness as well as bullying in school. He then encounters a monster in the form of a massive humanoid tree one fateful night. The monster then helps the boy cope with his unhappy life through stories.

Liam Neeson is set to play the titular monster while Lewis McDougall plays the lead child character Conor O’Malley. Felicity Jones will portray Conor’s ill mother and Tony Kebbell plays Conor’s father while Sigourney Weaver plays Conor’s strict and unsympathetic grandmother.

According to Deadline, Bayona’s film will premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 10. In addition to premiering at the TIFF, it will also be released at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 21 as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 10. The change in premiere schedule follows early positive audience and critics reactions and will give the film ample time to get ready for the incoming awards season.

On its new January 2017 release day, the film will compete against Screen Gems’ ‘Underworld: Blood Wars’ starring Kate Beckinsale and Dimension/Blumhouse’s ‘Amityville: The Awakening’ starring Jennifer Morrison.

‘A Monster Calls’ is an upcoming Spanish-British fantasy-drama film scheduled to premiere in U.S. theaters on January 6, 2017. It is directed by J.A. Bayona and written for the big screen by Patrick Ness. It is produced by Mitch Horwits, Belen Atienza, and Jonathan King with Sandra Hermida, Bill Pohlad, and Jeff Skoll serving as executive producers.