It was surprising enough when it was announced late last month that Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum, was not going to be ready before 2014, but now another title expected to be a strong force in this year's Oscar season has been delayed until next year. According to The Los Angeles Times, George Clooney's The Monuments Men will not be able to make its December 18th release date and will now not come out until some time in early 2014.
The reason behind the delay will probably surprise many, as the apparent reason for the release date change is that the movie won't have enough time to complete all of the necessary visual effects. Normally this is an issue faced by giant summer blockbusters, so it's strange to see it happen to a movie with Oscar-level expectations. The LA Times spoke with Clooney about the push back, the actor cum writer/director currently in London working with Alexandre Desplat on the movie's score, and he explained the situation. Said the A-lister, "We just didn't have enough time,"If any of the effects looked cheesy, the whole movie would look cheesy. We simply don't have enough people to work enough hours to finish it."
Based on a true story, The Monuments Men follows a team of museum directors, curators, and art historians who are sent behind enemy lines during World War II to try and recover all kinds of art that was stolen by the Nazis before they can be destroyed. In addition to starring in the film himself, Clooney has assembled an absolutely amazing ensemble for the movie, putting together a cast that also includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and John Goodman.
What's perhaps the most surprising thing about this push back is that Sony is already deep into the marketing game for the film. The studio has already released two trailers for the movie, the first released in August and the most recent earlier this month, and the previews certainly make it look like a finished movie:
The Monuments Men doesn't currently have an official release date, but stay tuned to learn about when you'll be able to see the movie.
