Netflix Buys Sony’s Action-Comedy ‘The Man From Toronto’ Starring Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson

By Matt Grobar

April 14, 2022

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Sony Pictures’ action-comedy The Man from Toronto, starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson, Deadline can confirm. The film previously scheduled for release in theaters on August 12 will now bow on the streamer in all territories apart from China (where Sony continues to control all rights) later this year. Sony will also retain home entertainment and linear TV windows. 

The Man from Toronto watches as the world’s deadliest assassin (Harrelson) and New York’s biggest screw-up, Teddy (Hart), are mistaken for one another at an Airbnb rental. The acquisition stems from the deal Sony entered into with Netflix last year, which has given the streamer first-look at its direct-to-streaming movies. Also factoring into the calculus for the move was Netflix’s mega deal and relationship with Hart.

3000 Pictures’ Lady Chatterley’s Lover, starring Emma Corrin, Jack O’Connell and Matthew Duckett, was the first film announced under the Sony-Netflix first-look partnership, which is additive to the studio’s full theatrical slate. Other upcoming titles from Sony include Bullet Train, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One), Where the Crawdads Sing, The Woman King, A Man Called Otto, Kraven The Hunter, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Madame Web.

The Man from Toronto also stars Kaley Cuoco, Jasmine Mathews, Ellen Barkin, Lela Loren, Pierson Fode, Jencarlos Canela, Tomohisa Yamashita and Alejandro De Hoyos. Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, The Hitman’s Bodyguard) directed from a script by Robbie Fox and Chris Bremner. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch produced, with Bill Bannerman, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth serving as executive producers.