Finch - What We Know So Far

Following his hat trick of stellar performances in 2020 — "Greyhound," "News of the World," and (technically) "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" — Tom Hanks will return to our screens later this year with his long-gestating sci-fi drama, "Finch." The upcoming feature was first announced on Variety back in October 2019 under the original title "Bios." The Amblin Entertainment feature is directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who is perhaps best known for his television directing work on HBO's "Game of Thrones," and Netflix's "Altered Carbon" and "Iron Fist." 

"Finch" is the second feature film directed by Sapochnik, arriving more than a decade after the release of his first feature, the very forgotten Jude Law movie "Repo Men." The movie is penned by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, two creatives with deep roots in Hollywood making their foray into screenwriting with their first, joint feature-length script. Previously, Luck served in a variety of below-the-line jobs on big tentpoles like "Maleficent" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" while Powell is credited as an associate producer on "Alien" and "Blade Runner." Filming on "Finch" took place in New Mexico from February to May 2019. The sci-fi pic was originally set for theatrical release in 2020 but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's what else we know about "Finch," including the release date, cast, and plot.

The road to release has been a long one for "Finch," but curious viewers won't have to wait much longer to see this sci-fi drama. In May, Deadline reported that Apple TV+ had scooped up the Amblin Entertainment picture for its streaming platform. Additionally, it was reported that "Finch" would be released later in 2021. At the stage, any feature starring Hanks is highly likely to get an awards season push, which could very well be the case with this movie.  The awards season window typically starts around mid-September and extends through early February, with a majority of films making their big awards season play by plotting a release date earlier in that window to allow more awards voters time to see and digest the movie. 

With this in mind, it's highly likely "Finch" could be released in September, October, or November 2021. This would allow ample time for folks to watch it and, considering this is an Amblin joint (read: tonally leaning toward the uplifting, family-friendly side of the spectrum), it's more likely "Finch" will get a November premiere so it also coincides with the holiday moviegoing season.

The cast of "Finch" is small but very mighty. Tom Hanks and Caleb Landry Jones ("Get Out") will lead this sci-fi story as Finch, an aging inventor living in a post-apocalyptic world, and Jeff, an android created by Finch to take care of Finch's dog following the inventor's eventual death. In case the character descriptions don't tip you off, Hanks will play Finch and Jones will play Jeff. Hanks has been attached to "Finch" since the project was announced all the way back in October 2017 (via Variety). Jones was added more than a year later, with news of his casting arriving in January 2019 (via Variety). 

By late spring 2019, we learned that three more heavy-hitting actors had been added to the "Finch" cast: "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Orange is the New Black" star Samira Wiley (via The Hollywood Reporter), "Riverdale" alum Skeet Ulrich, and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" star Laura Harrier (via ComingSoon). News of Ulrich and Harrier's involvement in the project wasn't announced until filming on "Finch" wrapped in May 2019. It's unclear what characters Wiley, Ulrich, and Harrier will play or what their relationship to Hanks' and Jones' characters will be. 

The plot of "Finch" may sound straightforward, but it seems to have plenty of potential to take viewers in exciting narrative directions. When the project was first announced, Variety described the plot of "Finch" as a story following a robot built to protect his creator's dog from the perils of the post-apocalyptic world they live in. But, as time has gone on, the description of the plot of "Finch" has been clarified. 

A lengthier synopsis was revealed in the same May 2021 Deadline report that confirmed Apple TV+ would be the home of "Finch." This newer, more in-depth synopsis goes like this: "A man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family as the man tries to ensure his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he's gone," and goes on to explain that "Finch [is] a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. As the trio embarks on a perilous journey into a desolate American West, Finch strives to show his creation the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive."

Although "Finch" sounds like it has the potential to careen into dark territory, the Amblin Entertainment banner should signal that this two-man (or rather, one-man, one-android) show is going to be more of a heartwarming story set in a world similar to our own.