Midnight Special, an original science fiction picture from writer-director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud), has been pushed back from its November 25th release date, according to Deadline report. Warner Bros., the films’ distributor, has opted instead to open the movie, which stars Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon (Man of Steel) and Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), on March 18, 2016.
There’s no word as to what spurred the push of the release and as of yet, no trailers or marketing materials have been publicly unveiled to gauge any sort of hesitancy on the part of Warner Bros. It did, however, read a bit suspicious when Creed, the upcoming Rocky Balboa update directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), was given the same November 25th release date- Warner Bros. has stake in the project. Instead, Midnight Special will open against The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1, Miracles From Heaven (a drama starring Jennifer Garner) and the animated film Monster Trucks. Curiously, the very next week, Warner Bros. will unveil the eagerly anticipated Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Release date shift or not, Nichols has proven himself a fascinating filmmaker in recent years, and Midnight Special was included in our list of the films we were most looking forward to this year. His 2011 paranoia-soaked indie Take Shelter (which starred Shannon and Jessica Chastain) was a major critical hit. The film won the Critics Week Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Nichols followed that up the acclaimed crossover drama Mud (a prominent film in the Matthew McConaughey renaissance). On pedigree, Midnight Special looked fairly special in its own right.
Not much is known about the plot of the film itself, but it’s an original science fiction film centering around a father (Shannon) and his 8-year-old boy (Jaeden Lieberher, St. Vincent) who go on the run after its discovered the child has some sort of special abilities. Dunst, Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby), Adam Driver (While We’re Young) and Sam Shepard (August: Osage County). Midnight Special marks Nichols’ first studio movie.
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