Seth Rogen's Pittsburgh-filmed movie 'An American Pickle' to debut on HBO Max

Having wrapped up filming in Pittsburgh last fall, Seth Rogen’s new comedy, “An American Pickle,” will have its debut not on the big screen but via HBO Max.

HBO announced Monday that its streaming service has acquired the rights to the film and will be released under the platform’s Warner Max label.

The movie was filmed entirely in and around Western Pennsylvania in October and November, with scenes shot in Downtown Pittsburgh and Lower Burrell.

The film follows a struggling immigrant laborer, Herschel Greenbaum (Rogen), who falls into a vat of pickles in 1920, is brined for 100 years, and emerges perfectly preserved in present-day Brooklyn. He finds that his only surviving relative is his great-grandson, Ben Greenbaum (also Rogen), a mild-mannered computer coder whom Herschel can’t even begin to understand.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with HBO Max to release this film,” Rogen said in a press release. “We worked very hard and put as much of ourselves in this story as possible. We’re very proud of the end result and we can’t wait for people to get to see it.”

The film was set to be released through Sony Pictures. However, because of covid-19 theater closures, a regular release wouldn’t have been possible this year.

HBO said the film will likely hit the streaming service sometime this summer.

HBO Max is set to debut May 27 on the Apple TV app, AT&T, Charter, YouTube TV and online. The service will cost $14.99 per month.