Sony Pictures Classics has scheduled Blue Moon, Richard Linklater’s latest film, for release on October 17 in New York and Los Angeles, with a broader rollout planned for October 24. The biographical drama centers on lyricist Lorenz Hart, one half of the iconic Rodgers and Hart songwriting duo, during a pivotal evening in 1943.

Set almost entirely at Sardi’s Restaurant, the film unfolds on the night Oklahoma! premiered on Broadway—Rodgers’ first collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II after parting ways with Hart. Ethan Hawke plays Hart, who reflects on his legacy and confronts the emotional toll of professional displacement. The cast includes Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott.

The story takes place over a single night, capturing the personal and artistic reckoning of a man witnessing the reshaping of American musical theater without his involvement. Hawke and Linklater, long-time collaborators, team up for the ninth time on this project. Their...