Honestly, if you missed the 2017 indie circuit, you probably think Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis belong in two completely different universes. She’s the Oscar-winning queen of prestige drama and sleek musicals; he’s the "Ted Lasso" guy, the king of the "nice guy" trope and goofy SNL sketches. But there is this one movie—a weird, dark, neon-soaked fever dream called Colossal—that changed everything for both of them.
It’s the kind of film that shows up on a random Tuesday night on a streaming service and leaves you staring at the wall for twenty minutes after the credits roll.
We need to talk about it.
Because while the world was busy watching Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada or Sudeikis in Horrible Bosses, these two were quietly making one of the most accurate, harrowing depictions of toxic masculinity and gaslighting ever put to film. And they did it using a giant, city-destroying kaiju monster.
Why Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis Aren't Who You Think They Are
The setup of their collaboration sounds like a standard rom-com. Anne Hathaway plays Gloria, an unemployed writer whose life is basically a series of empty wine bottles and bad decisions. She gets kicked out of her New York apartment and retreats to her hometown, where she runs into Oscar, played by Jason Sudeikis.
He’s the "nice guy" who stayed behind.
He gives her a job at his bar. He brings her an old TV. He acts like the savior. But Colossal isn't a rom-com.
The movie reveals that whenever Gloria stands in a specific playground at 8:05 AM, a massive monster appears in Seoul, South Korea, mimicking her every move. It’s a wild metaphor for the "collateral damage" of alcoholism. But the real twist—the one that people still argue about in Reddit threads years later—is what happens to Sudeikis’s character.
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The Sudeikis "Turn"
Before Ted Lasso made him the face of radical empathy, Jason Sudeikis used his natural charm to play someone truly terrifying. As the film progresses, his character, Oscar, realizes he has a similar connection to a giant robot in Seoul.
He doesn't use it to help. He uses it to hold Gloria hostage.
He tells her that if she leaves, or if she stops drinking with him, he’ll stomp through the city and kill thousands. It is a masterclass in emotional abuse. Sudeikis plays it with this terrifying, low-simmering resentment—the "friend zone" guy who thinks he’s owed something because he was "nice."
Most actors wouldn't touch a role that makes them this unlikable.
Hathaway, who actually helped get the movie financed when no one would touch a script that weird, has talked about how Sudeikis was the only person who could pull it off. You need that "Jason Sudeikis charm" to make the eventual betrayal hurt as much as it does.
The SNL Connection Most People Forget
Believe it or not, the chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis didn't start on a movie set. It started at 30 Rock.
Hathaway hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times during Sudeikis’s tenure as a cast member. If you go back and watch those old sketches, you can see the seeds of their professional shorthand. They have a timing that usually takes years to develop. Sudeikis has even credited those early SNL interactions with helping him bridge the gap between "sketch guy" and "leading man."
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The "Colossal" Fallout
When the movie premiered at TIFF, critics were floored. People weren't used to seeing Hathaway play "messy." She’s usually so poised, so perfectly curated. Seeing her with greasy hair and a hangover, literally fighting for her life against a man who wants to own her, was a revelation.
The film didn't make $100 million at the box office. It was a small, $15 million production that barely scraped together $4.5 million in its initial run.
But it became a cult classic.
It’s often cited in film school classes now as a perfect example of "genre-bending." Is it a monster movie? A dark comedy? A domestic violence drama? It’s all of them. And it works because Hathaway and Sudeikis never wink at the camera. They play the absurdity with total, heartbreaking sincerity.
What’s Next for the Duo?
In 2026, the trajectories of these two stars are busier than ever, though they haven't shared a screen since that playground showdown.
Anne Hathaway is currently reclaiming her "fashion icon" status with the highly anticipated The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is set to drop in May 2026. She’s also tackling the Ancient Greek epic The Odyssey alongside Matt Damon and Zendaya. She’s in her "Prestige Icon" era, choosing projects that balance massive scale with character depth.
Sudeikis, meanwhile, is returning to his roots. While fans are still mourning the end of Ted Lasso, he’s heading back to the recording booth for The Angry Birds Movie 3, slated for a late 2026 release.
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Does a Colossal Sequel Exist?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: It shouldn't. The ending of their collaboration was so definitive—Gloria literally throwing the source of her trauma across the world—that a sequel would only dilute the message.
However, the impact of their work continues. Colossal was the first project financed in part by Legion M, a fan-owned entertainment company. It proved that there is an audience for weird, uncomfortable stories that don't fit into a "superhero" or "sequel" box.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Film Buffs
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, don't just stick to the blockbusters.
- Watch Colossal with a Group: It’s a litmus test. I’ve noticed that men and women often react differently to Sudeikis’s character in the first act. It sparks incredible conversations about boundaries and "nice guy" culture.
- Track the "Genre-Busting" Trend: Look for movies like The Gift or Promising Young Woman. These films, like Colossal, use established actors to subvert expectations of how their "type" should behave.
- Support Original Indie Sci-Fi: If you want more movies like this, look for directors like Nacho Vigalondo. He’s the mind behind this collaboration, and his filmography (like Timecrimes) is a goldmine for people who hate predictable plots.
The reality is that Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis gave us a rare gift: a movie that takes a silly premise and turns it into a mirror. It’s not always pretty, and it’s definitely not "Ted Lasso" wholesome, but it’s probably the most honest work either of them has ever done.
To fully appreciate the range of these two actors, you have to look past the Oscars and the sitcoms. You have to go back to that playground in New Hampshire, where a giant monster and a broken woman decided they weren't going to be controlled anymore.
Start by revisiting the 2016-2017 festival interviews where they discuss the "monster within." You'll see two actors who were clearly bored with being "safe" and decided to get weird instead. It remains a high-water mark for both of their careers.
Next Steps for You: Check out the "Colossal" behind-the-scenes features on physical media or specialty streaming sites to see how they pulled off the Seoul sequences on a shoestring budget. Compare Sudeikis’s performance here to his later work in "Ted Lasso" to see how he flipped the "amiable mustache" persona on its head.