Those looking forward to the Robert Rodriguez movies of 2013 are having a rough week. Not only has one of his films been pushed back all the way to 2014, now we're learning that his other title won't be releasing on time either. But at least in this newest case we'll only have to wait about a month, rather than a full year.
Machete Kills, the sequel to Rodriguez's 2010 grindhouse action film Machete, was originally set to be released on September 13th, but today Open Road Films has announced that they will no longer be aiming for that date, and instead have pushed the project back to October 4th. It's a somewhat funny move, as that was going to be the weekend that The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films were going to release Rodriguez's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, which a few days ago was shoved all the way back to August 22, 2014. The Hollywood Reporter, which reported the release date change, notes that the movie will be going head-to-head with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity in wide release during its opening, but also will contend with music-driven dramas Grace Unplugged and Metallica Through The Never, which will be in limited theaters nationwide. While it's still a competitive field, the movie is moving away from a ultra-packed September weekend that includes James Wan's Insidious Chapter 2, Luc Besson's The Family, and Brin Hill's dance drama Battle of the Year.
Based on a screenplay by Kyle Ward and based on a story written by Robert Rodriguez and Marcel Rodriguez, Machete Kills sees Danny Trejo return as the titular ex-Federale to stop a weapons dealer - played by Mel Gibson - from sending a missile into space. Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba will be reprising their roles from the last movie, while new additions to the franchise include Charlie Shen, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Demian Bichir, Alexa Vega, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Vanessa Hudgens. You can watch the official trailer below.
But that's not the only new release date news from Open Road that we have for you today. Homefront, the upcoming crime drama co-staring Jason Statham and James Franco, is also going to be coming out a little later than expected. The movie was originally going to come out on October 4th, but with Machete Kills taking that date Homefront has been moved to Thanksgiving weekend, now set for release on Wednesday November 27th. On its new date the movie will be going against Disney's Frozen as well as Fox Searchlight's Black Nativity. starring Forest Whitaker.
Adapted from the Chuck Logan novel by Sylvester Stallone and directed by Gary Fleder, Homefront centers on a former DEA agent (Statham) who goes head to head with a hardcore drug dealer (Franco) after moving to a new town. Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth and Frank Grillo all have supporting roles in the movie.
