Game of Thrones star’s new movie skips theaters, goes right to Amazon

Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO

Here’s yet another movie that was originally intended for theaters but is going straight to home video on account of…well, all the theaters being closed because of the coronavirus. Deadline reports that Run Sweetheart Run, starring Ella Balinska (Charlie’s Angels) and Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy from Game of Thrones), is heading straight for Amazon Prime Video, rather than hitting its original theatrical release date of May 8.

Run Sweetheart Run was also supposed to show at this year’s South by Southwest festival, which was also canceled on account of the coronavirus, so it’s bad timing all around. It’s about Shari, a hard-working single mother, who goes on a blind date with a dude named Ethan. At first he seems and charming and handsome, but he’s played by Euron Greyjoy, so it probably won’t surprise you too much to learn that he’s secretly a psycho and that Shari ends up running for her life through the streets of Los Angeles. Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is in the movie.

“As crazy as audiences may find the film protagonist’s experience, I wrote and directed a film that is based on a very personal story for me and I’m thrilled that a global audience will have the chance to see it soon on Amazon Prime,” said director Shana Feste, kind of making me want to ask follow-up questions but afraid of the answers I might get. “I’m also grateful to my friends at Universal and Blumhouse for their unending support of the film.”

Disney’s Artemis Fowl is another example of a movie that was intended for theatrical distribution that ended up going straight to a streaming service, in this case Disney+. I can only assume we’ll see more of that kind of thing before theaters open up again.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels