Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)

Heaven Can Wait
Theatrical release poster by Birney Lettick
Directed by	Warren Beatty Buck Henry
Screenplay by	Elaine May Warren Beatty
Based on	Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall
Produced by	Warren Beatty
Starring	Warren Beatty Julie Christie James Mason Charles Grodin Dyan Cannon Buck Henry Vincent Gardenia Jack Warden
Cinematography	William A. Fraker
Edited by	Robert C. Jones Don Zimmerman
Music by	Dave Grusin
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	June 28, 1978 (1978-06-28)
Running time	101 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6 million[2]
Box office	$98.8 million[3]

Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American sports fantasy comedy-drama movie directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry about a young man (played by Beatty) being mistakenly taken to heaven by his guardian angel, and the resulting complications of how this mistake can be undone, given that his earthly body has been cremated. It was the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's play of the same name, the first being Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941).

The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, with Beatty becoming the second person (after Orson Welles for Citizen Kane) to be nominated for producing (Best Picture), directing (Best Director with Henry), writing (Best Adapted Screenplay with May) and acting (Best Actor) for the same film, and the film won for Best Art Direction. The cast includes Beatty, Julie Christie, and Jack Warden, all of whom had appeared in Shampoo (1975).

The film was released on June 28, 1978 by Paramount Pictures, and received positive reviews from critics, while earning a total of $98.8 million against a budget of $6 million, making it a financial success.

In 2001, a third film adaptation of the play was done, titled Down to Earth, sharing its name with the sequel to Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941).