Jake Johnson’s directorial debut ‘Self Reliance’ lands on Hulu

The feature film directorial debut of Jake Johnson, Self-sufficiencyheads to Hulu after debuting at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier this year.

The streaming service said Thursday it had acquired the comedy thriller in a deal with MRC, which backed the project, and Paramount Global Content Distribution. The film will be released as a Hulu Original on September 8 with a cast that includes Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Andy Samberg, GaTa, Emily Hampshire, Mary Holland, Boban Marjanović, Christopher Lloyd and Wayne Brady.

Self-sufficiency centers on Thomas (Johnson) who is invited to compete in a game where he can win a million dollars by staying alive while others try to kill him. Though he can only be killed while alone, Tommy soon discovers that none of his loved ones believe the situation is real.

Johnson, who directed the film from his own script, is producing alongside Ali Bell and Joe Hardesty. Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are the executive producers of Lonely Island Classics.

During an interview with DAY which was being hosted at SXSW in March, Johnson explained that he initially pitched the concept to Netflix in 2017 and saw it as a three-season series. Subsequently he rethought the project and realized that the experience of the pandemic helped to give it greater relevance.

“I wanted to make a film where every side could be right,” Johnson said at the time. “Whether you believe the game is real, or you believe the game isn’t real, it’s an adventure story of choice.”