When Ben Affleck signed on to star as the Dark Knight in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman, he made a huge commitment. The Zack Snyder-directed comic book movie is going to be a major production that lasts many months, and Affleck's work on it probably won't be done after principal photography has ended (reshoots are far too common in modern Hollywood). Being a part of something this big means putting some of the personal stuff on hold. and that's exactly what the actor has been forced to do with his next directorial effort.
While Affleck was planning on having his adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Live By Night ready to be released on December 25, 2015, his schedule for Batman vs. Superman has forced the filmmaker to shift things around and for the crime drama to be moved to October 7, 2016. It's not a super tough call to make on the logistics end, as the same studio is making both movies - Warner Bros. - and October 7, 2016 is much less crowded than next Christmas (which has Mission: Impossible 5 currently penciled in). The switch also pushes the movie far, far away from Star Wars: Episode VII, which is always a smart move for box office success.
Ben Affleck is set to star in the film, which is set in Boston during the 1920s. The film will chronicle his character's rise from being a petty thief to being one of the most successful rum runners around. Affleck penned the adaptation himself, but has yet to fill out the supporting cast. It will be interesting to see how the actor-cum-director's commitment to playing Batman will affect his future as a filmmaker, given that he will be playing the character not just in Batman vs. Superman, but presumably also in Justice League and solo films.
Live By Night isn't the only Warner Bros. movie with release date news however. According to The Wrap, the studio has announced that Midnight Special, the new film from writer/director Jeff Nichols, has been slated for November 25, 2015, where it will compete with Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Featuring a cast that includes Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver, the sci-fi thriller tells the story of a father and son who have to go on the run when the dad discovers that his child has unique special abilities. The film has already completed production, but presumably needs a good amount of time to go through post-production.
The studio has also announced a trio of mystery projects that will be coming out over the next four years. The first is an untitled comedy set up at New Line- which will be out on November 13, 2015 - and the other two are untitled Warner Animation Group projects, dated for February 10, 2017 and February 9, 2018, respectively. We have no idea what these movies are at this time, but perhaps the animated movies could mark the return of the Looney Tunes franchise to the big screen.
