New Regency has delayed the release of writer-director Jeff Nichols’ ensemble pic "The Bikeriders" due to the ongoing actors strike and the prohibition on talent doing any promotion or publicity.
The drama — starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy — had been set to open in theaters on December 1 after making several stops on the fall festival circuit, including opening the Telluride Film Festival on August 31 to critical acclaim.
It is the first movie to depart the December 1-3 weekend since Beyoncé’s just-announced concert film Renaissance was set for December 1.
The post-Thanksgiving frame is one of the quietest weekends of the year in terms of moviegoing, and it remains to be seen how much "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé" can change that narrative. So far, no early advance ticket sales have been disclosed for Renaissance as they were for "Taylor Swift: Eras Tour".
"The Bikeriders" remains undated for now, but the intention is to still qualify it for this year’s awards race.
New Regency believes the movie has the best chance of success with access to talent, based on feedback from early screenings, according to sources.
And with no indication of when the SAG-AFTRA strike might end after last week’s halt in talks, New Regency and 20th Century had to decide now whether to pull the movie from the calendar before starting up the marketing campaign.
The "Bikeriders" chronicles the rise and fall of a Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members.
Based on Danny Lyon’s 1968 book of black-and-white photographs, "The Bikeriders" follows a fictional Midwestern biker gang in 1965 Chicago called the Vandals.
Austin Butler stars as Benny, a quietly smoldering young man who, like elder gang member and founder Johnny (Hardy), is unconditionally devoted to the club. It also features Jodie Comer as Kathy, Benny’s wife who fell for him at a young age and grapples with the consequences of Benny’s involvement in the group.
The also includes Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, and more.
The movie also features Mike Faist (“West Side Story,” Dear Evan Hansen”) as a fictional version of Lyon, the photographer who captured the real-life 1960s bikers that inspired the characters in the pic.
Nichols, the director behind “Loving,” “Midnight Special” and “Mud”, also penned the script.
“Bikeriders” is produced by Regency Enterprises, New Regency Productions, Tri-State Pictures and 20th Century Studios.
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