Sony Classics Picks Up Maya Hawke’s ‘Wishful Thinking’

Sony Pictures Classics has snapped up Wishful Thinking, turning a buzzy SXSW debut into a long-range theatrical bet with Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman at the center.

The film marks the directorial debut of Graham Parkes, and its premise refuses to play small. Reports indicate the story follows a bickering couple whose karmic energy can set off storms, jolt the stock market, and ripple far beyond their relationship. That blend of intimate conflict and outsized consequences gives the project a sharp hook in a market that rewards originality but rarely makes room for it.

A couple’s arguments can shake the weather and the markets — and now Sony Pictures Classics wants audiences to sit with the fallout in theaters.

The acquisition also says something about positioning. Sony Pictures Classics often backs films that lean on voice, tone, and patient audience-building rather than opening-weekend noise. By setting a 2027 theatrical release, the company signals confidence in a slower rollout and in the idea that this film can live as more than a festival curiosity.

For Hawke and Pullman, the project adds another intriguing title to résumés built on performances that trade on unpredictability and emotional friction. For Parkes, it puts a first feature in the hands of a distributor known for careful curation. That combination could give Wishful Thinking a clearer path through a crowded release landscape, especially if early festival attention continues to build.

What comes next will matter. A 2027 release leaves time for strategy, marketing, and the kind of word-of-mouth campaign specialty films need to break out. If Sony Pictures Classics can turn the film’s strange central idea into a must-see theatrical event, Wishful Thinking may test how far audiences will follow an original story when the emotional stakes feel personal and the consequences look cosmic.