Warner Bros. Pictures Greenlights Three Films For Its 2023 Worldwide Theatrical Slate

Warner Bros. Pictures announced the release dates for three upcoming theatrical titles: “Furiosa,” “Coyote vs. Acme” and “The Color Purple” musical feature.  Each film is scheduled to hit theaters worldwide in 2023.  The announcement was made by Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

Up first in the lineup will be writer/director/producer George Miller’s “Furiosa,” a prequel to his hit “Mad Max: Fury Road” that introduced the wildly popular character.  Set for June 23, 2023, it will star Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.  Miller penned the script and produces alongside his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Babe”).

Also that summer, Warner Animation Group (WAG) delivers the live-action/animated hybrid “Coyote vs. Acme,” racing into theaters on July 21, 2023.  From director Dave Green (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”), it will feature the age-old rivalry between the Roadrunner nemesis and his preferred mail order supplier.  The screenplay is from James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, Jon Silberman and Josh Silberman and Samy Burch, based on the Wile E. Coyote character and fictitious Acme corporation from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, and the fictional New Yorker magazine article entitled “Coyote v. Acme,” written by Ian Frazier.  Chris DeFaria and James Gunn will produce, the latter under his Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey production banner.

“The Color Purple” musical feature comes to theaters around the globe on December 20, 2023.  Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, the film will be directed by Blitz Bazawule (“Black is King,” “The Burial of Kojo,” “Cherish the Day”), and produced by Oprah Winfrey under her Harpo Films production banner, Steven Spielberg under his Amblin Entertainment production banner, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones.  The executive producers are Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Mara Jacobs, Carla Gardini, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Fell.  The script is by Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”), with a score including music and lyrics from the stage musical by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.  Both the new film itself and Gardley’s script are based on Alice Walker’s book, the 1985 Warner Bros. Pictures film and the stage musical.