After losing its release date, it looks like The Bikeriders may also have lost its distributor. Originally set to get a big-screen release from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by Disney, the House of Mouse is reportedly looking to pass on the movie.
According to critic Jeff Sneider's The Insneider newsletter, New Regency, one of the movie's financiers, is looking for a new distributor. The production company is reportedly "open to all possibilities" for the film, including a streaming release.
Last month, The Bikeriders was removed from Disney's release calendar – it was originally meant to be released on December 1, but was delayed indefinitely. Due to the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, the studio was concerned that there wasn't enough time to market the movie properly without the involvement of the stars. While that strike is now over, things still aren't looking promising for The Bikeriders.
The movie follows the exploits of a Chicago biker gang in the '60s. Austin Butler is one of its members, wildcard Benny, while Jodie Comer is his love interest Kathy and Tom Hardy is gang leader Johnny. The cast also includes Michael Shannon, The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, and West Side Story's Mike Faist.
"[Casting] started with Austin," director Jeff Nichols previously Total Film. "It was before Elvis came out. I’d seen the trailer and there were just enough shots in that to say, 'Oh, that guy has done some serious work here'. The script had been floating around, and it’s a compelling part. So, we had some incoming calls from people that were interested. And I knew that I wanted to meet with this young man."
And when they did meet? "I was pretty certain I was seeing the most beautiful human being I’d ever seen," Nichols said.
While we wait to see what fate awaits The Bikerider's release, check out our guide to the rest of the year's biggest and most exciting movie release dates.
