Soloist, Defiance Bumped

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Given the word about Joe Wright's The Soloist possibly being a bit "schmaltzy" and boilerplate concerns about Ed Zwick's Defiance that I presume don't need explaining, I wasn't completely surprised to read a 10.17 story by the Hollywood Reporter's Carl DiOrio that both pics have had their wide-release dates delayed into '09.

The Soloist's postponement seems particularly dramatic with its 11.21.08 wide opening being pushed back to 3.13.09. Defiance, which had a previous release date of 12.12.08, will now open wide on 1.16.09.

Defiance will be given a late-December Oscar-qualifying run, reports DiOrio, and it's possible (though not likely) that The Soloist might be given a similar limited unveiling. But from HE's perspective it's looking as if both films have been all but yanked from the Oscar race by their respective distributors, DreamWorks/Paramount and Paramount Vantage.

The Shine-like story of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez's relationship with a homeless musician, The Soloist -- a DreamWorks/Universal co-production -- was looking at the very least like a possible uptick opportunity for costars Robert Downey and Jamie Foxx regarding possible year-end acting honors and distinctions.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 17, 2008 at 7:04 AM

comment #1

hcat says ...

This is probably just wishful thinking, but perhaps Ben Button is so freakin' great that they are getting everything else out of its way.

Posted by hcat at October 17, 2008 8:22 AM

comment #2

StoneFan1 says ...

They had to delay "Defiance" because of "Casino Royale" being pushed ahead by a week. People might not be ready for more of Mr. Craig so soon after "CR." A January release makes more sense to me.

Posted by StoneFan1 at October 17, 2008 8:25 AM

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

QoS, you mean.

Posted by BurmaShave at October 17, 2008 8:35 AM

comment #4

Rosebudsthesled says ...

I think it's between BENJAMIN BUTTON and, from the trailer, MILK. The former may be brilliant, but at this moment I'm leaning towards the latter because giving it the Oscar would also be a way of "redeeming" themselves for the BROKEBACK snub three years back.

Posted by Rosebudsthesled at October 17, 2008 9:08 AM

comment #5

Jack Price says ...

Good call Rosebud.

Posted by Jack Price at October 17, 2008 10:17 AM

comment #6

huntermdaniels says ...

Wait, I usually ignore Zwick because I have no patience for his "Socially conscious international dramas about atrocities...and how white men fix them" style filmmaking. Care to explain the boilerplate problem here?

Or is it just a QoS overlap?

Posted by huntermdaniels at October 17, 2008 11:42 AM

comment #7

D.Z. says ...

If Defiance gets released next year, you've got to wonder if it'll hurt Inglorious Bastards. Pushing back "The Soloist" might be a good idea, though. People might get sick of Downey the way I expect to happen with Shia around Transformers 2.

hunter: I don't think this is Zwick's cliche this time around...

Posted by D.Z. at October 17, 2008 4:38 PM

comment #8

huntermdaniels says ...

Really? I would love to see the man make a good movie. He is very technically skilled, but all of his movies are either terrible sitcoms (About Last Night...) or about white men saving helpless minorities.

Of course, I have personal issues with Zwick for getting a crack at a brilliant Mamet Play and changing EVERYTHING and adding in terrible montage scenes. He even screwed up the title. I mean, they don't get much better than "Sexual Perversity in Chicago" or much worse than "About Last Night..."

Posted by huntermdaniels at October 17, 2008 7:38 PM

comment #9