Sony Pictures Classics will be opening Scarlett Johansson‘s feature directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, on Sept. 26 nationwide and in Canada.
The movie, which received a six-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere, follows Eleanor Morgenstein (Oscar nominee June Squibb), a 90-year-old woman trying to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Tony Kame wrote the screenplay and the movie also stars Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tony and Emmy-nominated Jessica Hecht and Erin Kellyman.
Partnering for the first time, TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics boarded the project in 2024. The film is produced by Johansson, Jonathan Lia, and Keenan Flynn for These Pictures, Kara Durrett and Jessamine Burgum for Pinky Promise, and Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler of Maven Screen Media. Steve Sarowitz, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath and Andrew Calof are executive producing for Wayfarer Studios. Ezra Gabay and Raj Kishor Khaware are executive producing on behalf of Content Engineers. Wayfarer Studios, Content Engineers, Pinky Promise and MacPac are co-financing the film.
Johansson told Awardsline Editor Antonia Blyth that Eleanor The Great “is a movie about grief, it’s about human connectivity, and it’s also about forgiveness. It’s also about the truth versus reality, and it’s also about who has the right to tell someone else’s story, or do we have the right to tell someone else’s story? There’s a lot in it. Certainly, Jewish identity is a part of that.”
Deadline Chief Film Critic Pete Hammond exclaimed in his review, “Don’t let the title fool you. Eleanor the Great is not some royal costume epic set in 1566. Instead Scarlett Johansson‘s wonderful and richly textured feature directorial debut is a small but beautifully realized story of a 94-year-old woman…”
Eleanor The Great stands at 60% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
