Owen Wilson’s Superhero Movie Is Skipping Theaters And Going To Streaming
Well, what can you say but... wow...
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Owen Wilson has a superhero movie coming out and it was originally on its way to theaters this summer. Now it turns out that instead, Secret Headquarters will be used as a weapon in the ongoing streaming wars. The family action-comedy will premiere this August on Paramount+.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Secret Headquarters was originally set to bow in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, August 5, but instead the Owen Wilson-starrer is bound directly for the streaming platform Paramount+. Deadline notes that the film is still set to release in August, though it isn’t clear if the premiere date is still August 5. There has been precious little information released about the film, and as of yet no trailer.
If Secret Headquarters had gone forward with a theatrical release, it would’ve opened the same day as Brad Pitt’s upcoming action thriller Bullet Train and the horror comedy Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. But as a family action-comedy, its main competition would’ve been Universal’s Easter Sunday, and one would assume with its superhero angle, the Owen Wilson flick could decimate Easter Sunday. But in most likelihood, theatrical competition is not a major factor in the decision. Paramount stated its intention at the end of last year to go all in on streaming, and there have been reports about the studio coming into conflict with stars over its streaming goals. In particular, Tom Cruise has reportedly been in a legal tussle with Paramount concerning — among other things — how long Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One and its sequel will remain in theaters before going to streaming.
The Owen Wilson-led film was first announced last May. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman of Project Power fame, Secret Headquarters will follow the young Charlie Kincaid who comes to believe his father (Wilson) is a superhero after discovering the eponymous base of operations beneath their home. Along with Wilson the film stars Michael Peña (Ant-Man), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Walker Scobell (The Adam Project), Jessie Mueller (The Post), Momona Tamada (The Baby-Sitters Club), Keith L. Williams (Good Boys), Abby James Witherspoon (Hot Pursuit), and Kezii Curtis (Dolemite Is My Name).
While Owen Wilson isn’t the first name that usually comes to mind when you think of superhero fare, Secret Headquarters won’t be the actor’s first time with the genre. Wilson starred as Tom Hiddleston’s frenemy Mobius in the first season of Disney+’s Loki and is expected to return for season 2. Mobius was the home of a lot of fan speculation during the release of season 1, particularly in terms of his mysterious backstory.
Later this year Owen Wilson will be returning to another character for Disney+. He’ll once again voice the heroic stock car Lightning McQueen in the animated series Cars on the Road. He’ll also star in the indie comedy Paint alongside Stephen Root (Office Space) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!). Wilson plays Carl Nagle, a TV personality based on the late Bob Ross whose career and status is threatened by a younger painter.
