Remember when Fox was its own studio and Searchlight Pictures was this premier boutique studio that produced some of the best films of the year, often receiving tons of awards on an annual basis. This is the studio that released films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “Birdman.” But after the purchase of Fox by Disney, Searchlight isn’t quite what it used to be. And now, the studio is sending three of its 2022 films straight to Hulu.
According to Hulu, this summer will see the premiere of three Searchlight films on its streaming platform. “Fire Island,” “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” and “Not Okay” are all skipping theaters and hitting streaming.
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Here’s a breakdown of the three films coming to Hulu from Searchlight:
“Fire Island” (June 3)
The film is directed by Andrew Ahn and stars Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips, Michael Graceffa, Peter Smith, and Bradley Gibson. Set in the iconic Fire Island Pines, FIRE ISLAND is an unapologetic, modern day rom-com inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The story centers around two best friends who set out to have a legendary week-long summer vacation with the help of cheap rosé and a cadre of eclectic friends.
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (June 17)
The film is directed by Sophie Hyde and stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack. GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE follows Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), a retired school teacher, who is yearning for some adventure, and some sex. Good sex. And she has a plan, which involves hiring a young sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack).
“Not Okay” (August 5)
The film is directed and written by Quinn Shephard and stars Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Mia Isaac, Embeth Davidtz, Nadia Alexander, Tia Dionne Hodge, Negin Farsad, Karan Soni, and Dash Perry. NOT OKAY follows Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), an aimless aspiring writer with no friends, no romantic prospects and — worst of all — no followers, who fakes an Instagram-friendly trip to Paris in the hopes of boosting her social media clout. When a terrifying incident strikes the City of Lights, Danni unwittingly falls into a lie bigger than she ever imagined. She “returns” a hero, even striking up an unlikely friendship with Rowan (Mia Isaac), a school-shooting survivor dedicated to societal change, and scooping up the man of her dreams Colin (Dylan O’Brien). As an influencer and advocate, Danni finally has the life and audience she always wanted. But it’s only a matter of time before the facade cracks, and she learns the hard way that the Internet loves a takedown.
It’s unclear if we’ll see more and more Searchlight films go straight to streaming in the future. It’s not as if this is a completely unique situation nowadays. The number of films that would have previously been released in theaters skipping the big screen and going straight to streaming is increasing on a yearly basis. But it’s just interesting that a studio like Searchlight is feeling this change, as well.
Here are a couple of additional first-look photos from the aforementioned “Not Okay”:
