Let it never be said that Hollywood is not creative – at least when it comes to changing up things like, oh, the seasons. The summer movie season has progressively gotten longer and longer, kicking off when we’re still technically in the spring months, and then encroaching on September (which is autumn, because it’s back-to-school time, okay?). Now, Warner Bros. has officially decided that the month of May is summer (“early summer,” but “summer” nonetheless) in a press release announcing the “early summer” (read: May) release date for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.
The potentially troubled film, once slated for a glitzy Christmas release, was pushed away from the holiday season last month, with a promise that a new release date would be set soon. WB has announced today (via ComingSoon) that The Great Gatsby (still inexplicably in 3D) will open in North America on May 10, 2013, with international release following a week later.
As ComingSoon notes, a second-week-of-May release date isn’t usually a good thing. Recent releases saddled with such a date include Speed Racer, Poseidon, House of Wax, and Dark Shadows (yeesh!), but CS’s own Ed Douglas also points out that some Best Picture nominee heavy hitters also opened on a similar date – titles like Gladiator and Crash. Luhrmann himself is no stranger to the date – his Moulin Rouge! opened in limited release in mid-May as well.
Per the studio’s press release:
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “The Great Gatsby” will open early in the Summer 2013 season, hitting theaters on May 10 in the U.S. and Canada, with an international rollout beginning the following week. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Fellman stated, “Audiences have been looking forward to Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of one of the most beloved books of all time, and we felt this beautifully extravagant and dramatic film would be a perfect way for us to kick off our Summer slate.”
Kwan Vandenberg added, “Baz’s unique take on ‘Gatsby’ is glitzy and glamorous, with his juxtaposition of the classic tale and contemporary themes hitting just the right note. This film should really add heat to the competitive Summer season.”
From the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The filmmaker has created his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before, in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.
“The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (“J. Edgar,” “Aviator”) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) and Joel Edgerton as Daisy and Tom Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.
Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s book. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (“Gladiator”), Lucy Fisher and Catherine Knapman. The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Barrie M. Osborne (“Lord of the Rings – Return of the King”) and Bruce Berman.
Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (“Moulin Rouge!”) designs as well as produces. The editors are Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan. The music is by Craig Armstrong.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with A&E Television, a Bazmark/Red Wagon Entertainment Production, a Film by Baz Luhrmann, “The Great Gatsby.” In theaters May 10, 2013, the film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
— –
Still interested in the film? Refresh your feelings with The Great Gatsby trailer from back in May.
