The Portable Door
Australian release poster
Directed byJeffrey Walker
Screenplay byLeon Ford
Based onThe Portable Door
by Tom Holt
Produced by
  • Blanca Lista
  • Todd Fellman
Starring
CinematographyDonald M. McAlpine
Edited byGeoff Lamb
Music byBenjamin Speed
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 23 March 2023 (2023-03-23) (Australia)
  • 8 April 2023 (2023-04-08) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

The Portable Door is a 2023 Australian fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jeffrey Walker and starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Sam Neill, and Christoph Waltz. The screenplay by Leon Ford is based on the 2003 novel of the same name, the first in Tom Holt's J.W. Wells & Co. series. A co-production between The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films, the film was released theatrically in Australia on 23 March 2023 by Madman Entertainment, before streaming on Stan from 7 April 2023.

Synopsis

Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingel are lowly, put-upon interns who begin working at the mysterious London firm J.W. Wells & Co., and become increasingly aware that their employers are anything but conventional. Charismatic villains Humphrey Wells, the CEO of the company, and middle manager Dennis Tanner are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient magical practices, and Paul and Sophie discover the vast corporation's true agenda.[1]

Cast

Production

In 2013, The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films began developing the project.[2]

In February 2020, Jeffrey Walker was announced to be directing the adaptation of the first book in Tom Holt's seven-part fantasy book series from a script written by Leon Ford with Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce starring.[3][4]

In May 2021, the cast was announced, including Waltz, Sam Neill (replacing Pearce),[5] Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, and Miranda Otto, with production scheduled to begin at Pinnacle Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland.[6][7]

The film was produced by Blanca Lista for The Jim Henson Company, and by Todd Fellman for Story Bridge Films.[8]

Release

The Portable Door was released theatrically in Australia on 23 March 2023 by Madman Entertainment.[9][10] The film began streaming on 7 April 2023 in Australia on Stan and in the United Kingdom on Sky Cinema and Now,[11][12][13] and the following day in the United States on MGM+.[14][15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% from critics based on 16 reviews.[16]

Accolades

Benjamin Speed's score won Feature Film Score of the Year at the 2023 Screen Music Awards in Australia.[17]

References

  1. ^ Billington, Alex (3 February 2023). "Christoph Waltz & Sam Neill in Adventure 'The Portable Door' Trailer". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Alchemyst, The Portable Door to shoot in Oz". IF Magazine. 19 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Jeffrey Walker set to direct a stellar cast in 'The Portable Door'". IF Magazine. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. ^ Ritman, Alex (19 February 2020). "Berlin: Christoph Waltz, Guy Pearce Enter 'The Portable Door' With Jim Henson Company (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  5. ^ Lund, Anthony (25 June 2021). "The Portable Door Starts Filming with Sam Neill and Christoph Waltz". MovieWeb. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Queensland creatives team with The Jim Henson Company on Fantasy Adaptation The Portable Door". Screen Queensland (Press release). 26 May 2021.
  7. ^ Mendelsohn, Jon (25 June 2021). "Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill to Star in Film Adaptation of Patrick Holt's 'The Portable Door'". Collider.
  8. ^ "Arclight Films announce THE PORTABLE DOOR starring Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce". FilmFestivals.com. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  9. ^ "'The Portable Door' (Trailer)". IF Magazine. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  10. ^ "The Portable Door – In Cinemas March 23". Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  11. ^ Blight, Dylan (8 February 2023). "The Portable Door to debut on Stan in Australia just in time for the Easter holiday". Explosion Network. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  12. ^ Hoad, Phil (3 April 2023). "The Portable Door review – Harry Potter-ish YA fantasy carried by hardworking cast". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  13. ^ Cooper, Brenna (2 February 2023). "James Bond and Jurassic World stars' new movie gets first trailer and release date". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  14. ^ Complex, Valerie (7 February 2023). "'The Portable Door' Starring Christoph Waltz And Sam Neill To Get Exclusive Release On MGM+ In April". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  15. ^ Phipps, Keith (4 April 2023). "What to Watch in April: 'Air: Courting a Legend,' 'Beef,' and 'Tiny Beautiful Things'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  16. ^ "The Portable Door". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  17. ^ "2023 Screen Music Awards winners announced". APRA AMCOS. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.

External links

Stan original programming
The Jim Henson Company
Categories