I Saw The Light, Tom Hiddleston’s Hank Williams biopic, pushed back to 2016

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Sony Pictures Classics were hoping that I SAW THE LIGHT, the Hank Williams biopic starring Tom Hiddleston, would be generating some major Oscar buzz and had the film appropriately slotted into the Oscar bait slot of November 28, 2015. However, despite the acting of stars Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen receiving praises, the film failed to generate the Oscar buzz that the studio wanted at last month's Toronto International Film Festival. Seemingly in response to that lack of Oscar attention, Sony has pushed back I SAW THE LIGHT to March 25, 2016.

However Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard told Deadline that the move wasn't due to the mixed reaction but rather Tom Hiddleston's busy schedule.

We looked at the landscape and are making a decision that I think is a good one for the film, Tom Hiddleston’s got three movies out potentially so the press is consuming him. I am watching him here in New York everywhere. And he’s going back down the river to catch the monkey [KONG: SKULL ISLAND]. What we saw was I Saw The Light up against the wall in this tight race of people throwing their Oscar movies out, and it’s almost all or nothing.  We thought this was a movie we could do a lot for leading up to its release that I think will put it in a much better place, and we’ll  be able to go for it (Oscars) next year with him and re-open it at Christmas.

Pushing the film out of the busy Oscar season has a few advantages, not only will they be avoiding facing off with "every Oscar movie in the world," but they'll also be avoiding a little film by the title of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. Bernard mentioned that the wide-release of I SAW THE LIGHT was originally set for December 4th, but that THE FORCE AWAKENS would likely have gobbled up I SAW THE LIGHT's screens.

There are just not enough screens, not to mention the elephant in the room that no one is even talking about and that’s how many screens are going to be available when Star Wars comes out (on Dec 18). I believe they may have every screen in the complex except one.

The new plan will see the first I SAW THE LIGHT trailer released in November, after which it will play in front of many of the major Christmas releases in order to give it a much wider exposure than it would have received originally. I suppose we'll have to wait until next Oscar season to find out if the move was all worth it. In the meantime, check out a handful of new I SAW THE LIGHT images below.

I SAW THE LIGHT opens in theaters on March 25, 2016, but you can read our own Chris Bumbray's review of the film right here!