Blake Lively’s ‘Rhythm Section’ Moved Back to 2020

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Paramount Pictures has moved the release date of Blake Lively’s “The Rhythm Section” back two months from Nov. 22 to Jan. 31, 2020, the weekend of Super Bowl LIV.

The spy tale, adapted from Mark Burnell’s novels surrounding character Stephanie Patrick, is produced by James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson through their Eon banner. Reed Morano (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “I Think We’re Alone Now”) is directing the pic.

Lively portrays a heroine who adopts the identity of an assassin to get to the bottom of her family’s death in a plane crash. She discovers it may not have been an accident at all. Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Mays and Raza Jaffrey also star.

Lively suffered a hand injury in 2017 while doing a stunt on the Dublin set, resulting in a six-month delay in production. She underwent two hand surgeries before shooting resumed. Sterling K. Brown joined the film as production started again in Spain.

“” was originally scheduled to be released on Feb. 22, 2019 but was moved back to Nov. 22 — when it would have opened against Disney’s “Frozen 2” and Sony’s Fred Rogers biopic “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” “The Rhythm Section” is the second title to land on Jan. 31, joining United Artists’ “Gretel and Hansel.”