The upcoming historical drama Free State of Jones starring Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) is pushing back its release date just slightly. The STX Entertainment film was originally slotted for a May 13th release but will now open on June 24th, appropriately just ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. The Civil War-era film was directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) with screenplay penned by Ross from a story by Leonard Hartman.
Free States of Jones tells the true story of Newton Knight (McConaughey), a Southern farmer in Civil War-era Mississippi who banded together with both farmers and slaves to revolt the Confederacy. The uprising of Knight helped Mississippi secede from the Confederacy. The film also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beyond the Lights), Keri Russell (August Rush), Sean Bridgers (Room) and Mahershala Ali (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
Ross, aside from directing the first The Hunger Games feature, previously directed the comedy Pleasantville (1998) and the Oscar-nominated historical drama Seabiscuit (2003). He also received Oscar nominations for writing the original screenplays for the comedies Big (1988) and Dave (1993); Free State of Jones marks his fourth feature as a director. Aside from this film, McConaughey will be seen on screens this year in Stephen Gaghan’s upcoming thriller Gold as perhaps in Gus van Sant’s Sea of Trees (which premiered to lackluster reviews at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival).
Free State of Jones will now face off against an entirely different form of patriotism at the box office- Independence Day: Resurgence. The film will open on June 24th. Check out the trailer below.
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