For the last 10 years, A24 has been home to movies that wouldn’t have been made anywhere else, as low and mid-budget films are almost obsolete in the mainstream Hollywood landscape. But following their commitment to funding risky visions of outsider filmmakers, the Indie outfit has built a pretty strong brand identity and is now set to join forces with one of the best in the game.
Steven Spielberg, who previously spoke highly of A24’s Oscar-nominated The Zone of Interest, is now teaming up with the indie distributor for an adaptation of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.
Steven Spielberg and A24 Join Forces for The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Adaptation
Since its publication, James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store has garnered all kinds of praise, with Barack Obama even naming it among his favorite books of 2023. The story, which follows the lives of Black and Jewish residents of the Chicken Hill neighborhood of Pottstown during the 1920s and 1930s, is now set to receive a movie adaptation.
For the adaptation of the novel, Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Partners will join forces with A24, which, per the InSneider newsletter (via Deadline), is currently in its very early stages of development. Moreover, per reports, the Schindler’s List filmmaker will only serve as a producer on the upcoming film and will not helm the directorial duties for this one.
Steven Spielberg Spoke Highly of A24’s The Zone of Interest
Following the publication of Martin Amis’s stomach-churning novel in 2014, Jonathan Glazer started his expedition to adapt The Zone of Interest, which finally found its home in A24. Having earned 5 Oscar nods, including Best Picture and Best International Film, the feature was even lauded by Steven Spielberg, who deemed it the best Holocaust film since his Schindler’s List.
The Jurassic Park director, who considers Schindler’s List his best work to date, spoke highly of the A24 production for raising awareness about the banality of evil.
He told The Hollywood Reporter:
“The Zone of Interest is the best Holocaust movie I’ve witnessed since my own. It’s doing a lot of good work in raising awareness, especially about the banality of evil.”
But apart from delving into more intimate projects, A24 recently stepped its footing in the blockbuster realm with Alex Garland’s Civil War, which broke studio records, becoming their second biggest hit. With a box-office collection nearing the $100M landmark, Civil War surpassed the likes of Talk to Me, The Iron Claw, Midsommar, Hereditary, etc.
Civil War is currently running in the theatres.
