It’s been a strange few weeks for the upcoming film The Lobster, befitting a film with a rather strange premise. The absurdist romance, from Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos, was originally supposed to be released on March 11th, courtesy of Alchemy (who acquired the title after it premiered and won the Jury Prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival). Due to setbacks at the company, the film shifted to A24 Films and now has a new release date and a new trailer to boot.
The film will now open theatrically on May 13th, nearly a year after the film made its world premiere on the Croisette. The story follows a romance that develops in a strange, dystopian world where single people are rounded up if they don’t find a mate in 45, they are turned into an animal of their choice. Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) and Colin Farrell (In Bruges) lead an impressive ensemble that includes Ben Whishaw (The Danish Girl), Léa Seydoux (Spectre), John C. Rielly (Chicago) and Olivia Colman (The Iron Lady).
The film marks the English-language debut of Greek native Lanthimos, whose equally bizarre Dogtooth received an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign-Language Film category. He co-wrote the screenplay with Efthymis Filippou. The film was recently nominated for a BAFTA award for Best British Film and won two prizes at the 2015 European Film Awards, including one for it’s inventive screenplay. Lanthimos will next helm the period film The Favourite which is set to star Weisz, Colman and Oscar nominated actress Emma Stone (Birdman).