By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published May 22, 2020 at 4:01 PM

"Irresistible" was supposed to bring the Badger State to the big screen this summer. Instead, Focus Features today announced that Jon Stewart's new Wisconsin-set political comedy will bypass movie theaters and go straight to premium video-on-demand, now debuting on Friday, June 26. 

The comedy will available to rent on Prime Video, AppleTV, Xfinity, Vudu, Google Play and Fandango Now, likely at $19.99 for a 48-hour period considering the prices for previous PVOD releases from the studio.

It's not a surprising development for the star-studded comedy, starring Steve Carell as a Democratic strategist trying to score a win in the swing state of Wisconsin by pushing a retired Marine Colonel (Chris Cooper) into a political campaign. The film's original release date, May 29, is now just a week away, with few theaters open nationwide and even less publicity out there for the movie. Plus, the movie comes from Focus Features, the independent branch of Universal Pictures, which has already shifted several of its planned theatrical releases – such as "Trolls World Tour," the upcoming Pete Davidson comedy "The King of Staten Island" and the music industry dramedy "The High Note" – to at-home premieres. 

Considering that comedy has struggled in movie theaters in recent years and that "Irresistible" was already at risk of being overshadowed by the big summer blockbusters – with the rest of the 2020 not looking much friendlier thanks to big names moving release dates and crowding up the schedule – the only surprise is actually that "Irresistible" didn't shift to PVOD sooner.

I guess it's nice that we'll still be able to see Wisconsin in the spotlight this summer ... or at least the Badger State as played by the Peach State. Yes, while "Irresistible" is set in Wisconsin – and Stewart did come to the state back in 2018 for scouting and research purposes with his original script – most of the actual filming took place in the more film-friendly state of Georgia. So besides maybe some B-roll establishing shots and aerial images, don't expect to see much Sconnie on your screen.

Well, at least we'll see if his research resulted in an accurate, detailed and nuanced depiction of Wisconsin life. (*watches trailer and sees multiple cow jokes as well as a bunch of supposed Sconnie residents drinking Budweiser*) 

Welp, here's to the rest being better when we see it at home on June 26.

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.