Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon Scheduled for Fall Releases

      After releasing two films last year, Hit Man and the somewhat neglected God Save Texas: Hometown Prison, the prolific Richard Linklater is set to return in 2025 with two new features. Earlier this year, he premiered Blue Moon (featuring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott) at Berlinale. Sony Pictures Classics has now confirmed a fall release window for the drama in the official CinemaCon program guide.

      Characterized as “a humorous tribute to old Broadway,” the synopsis reads: “On the night of March 31, 1943, renowned lyricist Lorenz Hart grapples with his crumbling self-esteem in Sardi’s bar while his former collaborator Richard Rodgers revels in the opening night of his groundbreaking hit musical Oklahoma!”

      In addition, Linklater appears to have finalized his next film, Nouvelle Vague, which pays homage to the French New Wave and chronicles the creation of Breathless, styled after Jean-Luc Godard’s iconic debut. Although it is still in search of U.S. distribution, French distributor ARP Sélection has announced a release date of October 8 in France, with a runtime of 105 minutes.

      The cast features Guillaume Marbeck as Jean-Luc Godard, Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Matthieu Penchinat as Raoul Coutard, Adrien Rouyard as François Truffaut, Antoine Besson as Claude Chabrol, Roxane Rivière as Agnès Varda, Jean-Jacques Le Vessier as Jean Cocteau, Côme Thieulin as Éric Rohmer, Laurent Mothe as Roberto Rossellini, Jonas Marmy as Jacques Rivette, among others.

      Take a look at the early sales poster for Nouvelle Vague below.

      In his review, David Katz remarked, “Blue Moon, which made its world premiere at Berlinale, is another deeply personal piece from Linklater, filled with distinct authorial traits. What sets this film apart within his body of work is that it embodies the kind that can only be produced at a mature stage of one's career. It’s not that Linklater has nothing left to prove––screenplays like Robert Kaplow’s and its unique, distant setting in mid-WWII New York theater often cause financiers to hesitate. With a 'legacy' career, little comes easily; for Linklater, perhaps his next endeavor will be a genuine awards contender, and new partnerships with acting talent can be cultivated. Additionally, differing or lower expectations for the final product enable him to fully express his artistic identity at this juncture in his career.”

      Stay tuned for updates regarding a likely debut for Nouvelle Vague at the Cannes Film Festival, U.S. distribution, and a specific fall release date for Blue Moon.