'A Man Called Otto' gets greenlight for China release

Columbia Pictures’ A Man Called Otto has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities and will open in the country on March 24.

The Tom Hanks drama has amassed $104.5m worldwide at time of writing, of which $42m hails from international markets and $6.5m from North America.

Marc Forster directs Hanks in the remake of Scandinavian hit A Man Called Ove. Hanks plays a neighbourhood curmudgeon who no longer has the will to live after the death of his wife. His heart softens when a family moves in next door and he strikes up a friendship with quick-witted Marisol.

The cast includes Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Truman Hanks and Mike Birbiglia. David Magee adapted the screenplay from Fredrik Backman’s book ‘A Man Called Ove’ and the film of the same name directed by Hannes Holm.

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