Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has long been one of the most anticipated films of the year, with the anticipation heightening further still after the fantastic first trailer that landed back in May.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire in the leads, the film was to be released on Christmas Day this year in the US, putting it in prime position for the Academy Awards next February, but now Warner Bros. have released a statement announcing that they will be moving it from its Christmas slot to a yet-to-be-decided prime-time slot in the summer of next year.
The decision can’t have been an easy one. On the one hand, this December has an incredibly packed line-up in the US, with Hyde Park on Hudson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables, Zero Dark Thirty, Jack Reacher, This Is 40, The Impossible, Therese Raquin, and of course Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained all bowing before the year’s end, not to mention the recently moved-forward Monsters Inc. 3D release. So moving Gatsby back, in that regard, makes some sense.
On the other hand, however, Summer 2013 is already very busy, as you can imagine, with After Earth, The End of the World, Man of Steel, Monsters University, World War Z, The Internship, R.I.P.D., White House Down, Despicable Me 2, Independence Day 3D, The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim, Jurassic Park 3D, The Wolverine, The Smurfs 2, 300: Battle of Artemisia, RED 2, RoboCop, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones all currently scheduled between June and August alone – and that doesn’t even include the busy May line-up before it.
Finding a weekend amidst all of those will be very difficult, unless the studio wants to go head-to-head with another blockbuster. It was to be released on the same day as Django Unchained, so it no doubt feels safe in the knowledge that audiences will flock in their multitudes to see Luhrmann’s new take on the classic material – and flock they will, if the first trailer is anything to go by.
But Gatsby looks to be a rather different kind of blockbuster than the usual summer fare, and I have a feeling that this decision is, in the long run, going to work very well in the studio’s favour. So whilst we, who were so looking forward to seeing it in just a few months’ time, will have to wait a little longer, it does undoubtedly mean that we’ll have more people with whom we can discuss the film in all its beauty, and when push comes to shove, the film finding the audience it deserves is what matters most.
“BURBANK, CA, August 6, 2012 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures have moved the release date of “The Great Gatsby” to Summer 2013. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “Based on what we’ve seen, Baz Luhrmann’s incredible work is all we anticipated and so much more. It truly brings Fitzgerald’s American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exciting way. We think moviegoers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible.”
Kwan Vandenberg confirmed, “Baz is known for being innovative, but with this film he has done something completely unexpected—making it in 3D—while capturing the emotion, the intimacy, the power and the spectacle of the time. The responses we’ve had to some of the early sneak peeks have been phenomenal, and we think ‘The Great Gatsby’ will be the perfect summer movie around the world.”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.” Opening Summer 2013, the film will be distributed in IMAX® 3D, 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.”
