Sony will move forward with 'Only the Brave' release despite California wildfires

Sony Pictures has no plans to shift the upcoming release of the firefighter drama Only the Brave as deadly wildfires continue to rage throughout California, a studio representative confirmed to Yahoo Entertainment.

Only the Brave, scheduled to open theatrically Oct. 20, tells the true-life story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the Prescott, Ariz., fire crew that suffered numerous fatalities in a 2013 incident while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.

The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, and Taylor Kitsch, paints a heroic portrait of the ill-fated hotshots team and has received early raves from critics for its handling of the real-life subject matter.

But the timing of its release could prove tricky for the studio in light of the wildfires currently ravaging Northern California wine country, woodlands, and even metro areas. As of Wednesday, there have been 21 confirmed deaths, hundreds hospitalized, dozens of people unaccounted for, and thousands displaced. More than 3,500 buildings have been destroyed, according to the most recent reports, including whole neighborhoods in the city of Santa Rosa. The fires have burned about 170,000 acres, a collective area the Washington Post points out is larger than the city of Chicago.

In tandem with the film’s release, Sony is promoting the Granite Mountain Fund, a philanthropic initiative that “drives donations to initiatives, including the California Fire Foundation, that support firefighting as well as the towns and families connected to and impacted by hotshots and their work.”:regular_smile: