Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age drama “The Fabelmans,” a movie loosely based on the filmmaker’s childhood, will debut in theaters around next Thanksgiving.
The film, from Universal Pictures and Amblin, has been scheduled to open on Nov. 23, 2022.
Though the release calendar could change before then, “The Fabelmans” is currently slated to premiere on the same day as an untitled animation project from Disney and two weeks after Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Nov. 11).
The semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” takes place in Arizona, where Spielberg spent his formative years, and stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle. Plot details have been kept under wraps, but “The Fabelmans” is said to dramatize the developmental experiences of a movie-lover who eventually became the most commercially successful director in modern times. Williams and Dano are expected to play roles inspired by Spielberg’s mother and father, while Rogen’s part is influenced by the director’s favorite uncle. At the center of the film is LaBelle, as aspiring filmmaker named Sammy, with “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” breakout Julia Butters portraying his sister, Anne.
Spielberg co-wrote the script with his frequent collaborator, “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner. The pair recently teamed on “West Side Story,” a big-screen adaptation of the classic musical, to rave reviews. Spielberg and Kushner previously teamed on 2005’s historical action drama “Munich” and 2012’s period piece “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president of the United States of America.
In addition to directing and co-writing, Spielberg is producing “The Fabelmans” with Kushner and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The film began production in July.