Spoiler Alert - What We Know So Far

When asked on KTLA 5 in 2017 if he'd like to see his memoir, "Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies," turned into a film, author Michael Ausiello commented, "I feel like this is a story I haven't seen on television or in movies. To be honest, though, I'm so focused on just the book right now and not thinking too far ahead, and I'm proud of the accomplishment of this book. Whatever happens after this we'll see." And thankfully, it just so happens that this idea has come to fruition. 

"Spoiler Alert" is an upcoming film based on the memoir of the same name by Ausiello. The story follows TV columnist Aussiello as he chronicles the last 11 months of his 14-year life with his late husband, Kit Cowan, sharing the life and lessons the two learned from one another along the way. 

With its heartbreaking tale of love and loss , "Spoiler Alert" is shaping up to be a heartfelt and rich addition to the already jam-packed holiday movie season. With the release nearing closer, there are plenty of questions up in the air of the ambitious adaptation. So today we will try our best to answer them as we dive into everything we know so far about "Spoiler Alert." 

"Spoiler Alert" is currently slated for release throughout December 2022. According to the film's distribution company, Focus Features, the film will see a number of releases throughout the month, starting with a release on December 2 in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Following this, "Spoiler Alert" will be released throughout the rest of the United States on December 9 and then worldwide on December 16. Its wide release will see the film go up against the highly anticipated "Avatar: The Way of the Water."

The book's rights were acquired by Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak's production company That's Wonderful Productions back in 2017 (via Deadline). Focus Features became the distributor in 2018. Director Michael Showalter was attached to helm the project, best known for his directorial efforts on "The Big Sick" and the Oscar-winning "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." Screenwriters David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage were brought on to adapt the novel into the film's screenplay (via Deadline). 

"The moment I finished Michael Ausiello's incredible book, I knew Focus needed to make this film," says Focus Features' President of Production and Acquisitions Kiska Higgs. "With Showalter's vision for the story's heart and humor, we hope not only to do justice to Michael and Kit's story but also to inspire the audience to love them as much as we do." Principal photography for "Spoiler Alert" began in late October 2021 and would wrap in early December 2021. 

The premise of the adaptation of "Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies" doesn't seem to differ much from the book it is based on. The film's plot is described on the official website of its distributor, Focus Features like this: "Based on Michael Ausiello's best-selling memoir, 'Spoiler Alert' follows Ausiello as he unpacks the emotional maelstrom into which his relationship was plunged in the 11 months that took his partner, photographer Kit, from his diagnosis with terminal cancer to his passing. Interwoven in the narrative are glimpses of the roller-coaster ride that was the couple's 14-year romance."

Michael Ausiello, the book's author, film's executive producer, and main focus of the story, is best known for his work in the entertainment industry as a respected journalist for various outlets. After working for such publications as TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly, where he famously broke numerous exclusive television stories, Ausiello launched the site TVLine alongside the publishing company MMC, best known as the owners of Deadline Hollywood. As the name implies, TVLine focuses on breaking news and information in the world of television (via MMC). 

Many of Ausiello's fans were unaware of his relationship with photographer Kit Cowan until the writer brought up Cowan's fierce battle with a rare form of Neuroendocrine cancer in an update piece on his site (via TVLine). Cowan would pass away on February 5, 2015 and Ausiello, along with Cowan's family, set up a scholarship fund in Cowan's honor. 

Jim Parsons, best known for "The Big Bang Theory," will be producing "Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies" and starring in the film as Michael Ausiello (via Deadline). Starring alongside him as Ausiello's late husband, Kit Cowan, is "Fleabag" star Ben Aldridge, who was cast in the film in July 2021 (via Variety). 

It was later announced in September 2021 that two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field would also be joining the cast. In the film, she'll be starring as Cowan's mother, Marylin. This will be her second time collaborating with director Michael Showalter following the 2015 indie drama, "Hello, My Name is Doris." "Working with Sally Field has been the highlight of my career," says Showalter. "I cannot wait to collaborate with her again. I know she will bring so much depth and humor to this pivotal role" (via Deadline).

Others slated to star in "Spoiler Alert" include Bill Irwin, Josh Pais, Tara Summers, Nikki M. James, Shunori Ramanathan, and Winslow Bright (via IMDb). When asked by Instinct Magazine about casting when the book was initially optioned, Ausiello didn't have any specifics, but only cared that the heart of those involved was in the right place. "I don't have specific actors in mind," he says. "Yes, I am excited, and yes, I am nervous ... I have such respect for Jim [Parsons] ... And I am hopeful and optimistic that we can do this story justice and do right by Kit."