Anne Hathaway still wants to make a "Sesame Street" movie

The long-delayed movie has been struggling since the pandemic hit.

Back in 2018, Collider exclusively reported that Anne Hathaway was considering leading the highly anticipated Sesame Street movie directed by Portland-based Jonathan Krisel. Cut to 2023, and the film is still far from the finish line due to multiple delays. However, despite the lack of progress, Hathaway is still attached to the project, hoping that it will one day come to fruition. In her thriller Erin at the Sundance Film Festival, the Academy Award winner spoke with Collider's Perri Nemiroff about the current state of the Sesame Street movie, and why she's sticking with it despite all the delays. project.

Hathaway has hardly stood still since being cast as history show host Sally Hawthorne, fighting to save her show and justify the existence of the titular Sesame Street. She has lead roles in Blackwater, The Witch, Armageddon, and of course Erin. Television also offered her the chance to executive produce and star opposite Jared Leto in the Apple TV+ miniseries We Fall in Love. Given how busy Hathaway is, how long can she really wait for Sesame Street?

When Nemiroff first proposed the project, Hathaway immediately noted, "It hasn't happened. I hope so. Nemirov then asked her what inspired her to keep making despite the obstacles. Hathaway replied:

"I don’t really make movies that I don’t love. Even if it’s a strange love. Even if it’s a love that doesn’t make sense to other people and even by the way of the final product isn’t in any way what I thought it was going to be. If it doesn’t spark something, I don’t think I can do it. And so when you read something, and you’re genuinely charmed or delighted or it brings you joy or it’s something you want to share with others, it’s really hard to step away from things like that that move you authentically. And, you know, this is a funny business. Movies take 20 years to get made and there is something really, really satisfying about sticking with certain things. And there is something really great about looking out and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe for like eight years I was the only person who understood this,’ and all those people who had my back believed in me. And so it’s just a wonderful story. It doesn’t always work out. Sometimes eight years later, you’re just like, ‘I think it’s time to call it.’ It’s a mixed thing, and I’m really lucky that so far I’ve been able to have a career in this industry, so I’ve had all sorts of different experiences."

Hathaway rarely reveals what makes this particular project so special, but she articulates her interest from another angle. She describes the art of filmmaking as "experimental," with the goal not just to create something everyone loves, but to challenge audiences and push boundaries at the risk of failure. She explains:

"I also want to say that what we do is highly experimental. What you were saying about if everyone’s gonna love everything then you can question whether or not enough risks were taken or whether or not you played it safe to kind of appeal to the widest possible audience. And if you are interested in filmmaking as a sort of experimental version of art, there’s a really good chance that it’s not gonna work. And it’s a really big ask of audiences to say, ‘I know, I know. Please, please keep coming back,’ because when it hits, we all know what it means, but it does mean that sometimes you have to eat some failure and that’s cool, too."

If Sesame Street has its way, Hathaway will star opposite Chance the Rapper in the film. He is cast as the aide to an evil mayor who intends to keep Sesame Street a secret for his own purposes. Bo Burnham uses big During the downtime during the pandemic, he recorded his magnum opus to date, "Inside," for which he previously composed music.

No idea when the Sesame Street movie is coming out, or if it will look the same, but Hai Hathaway appears to be involved for the long haul. Keep an eye out for more coverage from Sundance, including Hathaway's full interview with Erin, here in the collider. In the meantime, check out the interview clip in the player above.

Special thanks to our 2023 partners at Sundance, including display partner Saratoga Spring Water and supporting partners Marbl Toronto, EMFACE, Sommsation, Hendrick’s Gin, Stella Artois, mou and the all-electric vehicle Fisker Ocean.