Woody Allen's 'Wonder Wheel' to Close New York Film Festival (Exclusive)

The 1950s-set film stars Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake and James Belushi.

Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel will close out the 2017 New York Film Festival.

Sources say the film, which stars Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake and James Belushi, has been selected by the fest, which is often seen as a springboard for awards-season play. Last year, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea screened during the event, which opened with Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th and closed with the Charlie Hunnam-starrer The Lost City of Z. Winslet, who is working with Allen for the first time, is said to give an awards-friendly performance in Wonder Wheel.

As with all Allen films, not much is known about the plot of Wonder Wheel, but it is described as a period drama set in New York in the 1950s. In addition to directing the pic, Allen wrote the screenplay.

Allen's most recent film, Cafe Society, premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. But the New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is home turf for the native New Yorker, who shot Wonder Wheel in the city.

This year, Richard Linklater's Last Flag Flying will serve as the opening-night film for the 55th incarnation of the festival, which is set to run Sept. 28-Oct. 15.

Wonder Wheel will be released theatrically by Amazon Studios and an unnamed distribution partner on Dec. 1, a plum date for Oscar consideration.

Amazon is poised for a strong showing at the festival. The studio is behind Last Flag Flying and Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck, which also is in the lineup.