Undaunted by the spectacular failure that was their Speed Racer, the Wachowski siblings daringly dove into another adaptation, this one even more ambitious than the last, and teaming them up with co-director Tom Tykwer as well. Inspired by David Mitchell's heady sci-fi novel, Cloud Atlas will weave together six different stories in various settings (of time and space) with the help of a star-studded ensemble that includes Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, and Susan Sarandon. Making the project even more curious—and confusing—is that many of the actors have been called upon to play multiple roles with casting choices that few would have expected—like Grant as a cannibal and Hanks as a posh Brit.
The upcoming feature already seemed to be stacked with wild cards when reports out of Cannes revealed the epic clocked in at a whopping 2 hours and 44 minutes! Such a long running time could frighten off many mainstream moviegoers, but with Warner Bros. scoring domestic distribution rights for a lean $20 mil, the studio may not fear that loss. However, Variety has revealed WB has shifted Cloud Atlas's release from December 6th to October 26th, probably pushing for a more profitable release date.
Now instead of facing off against countless Oscar bait films that crowd Christmas time—including the spirited biopic Hyde Park on Hudson—Cloud Atlas will be a heavy hitter in its new spot, facing off against another blandly titled Katherine Heigl comedy (The Wedding), a Gerard Butler sports pic (Of Men and Mavericks), and the celebrated Sundance drama Six Sessions, formerly known as The Surrogate.
It seems a smarter position for Cloud Atlas, as audiences are more up for the odd and wild in that transition time between summer blockbusters and fall prestige pictures. Plus, it's good news for fans of the book —or fans of the Wachowskis—who have now had their wait time cut down considerably.
