So, no more problems then? It was only on Friday when yellow cards (sorry, still suffering from World Cup fever) were being thrown at Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s "The Revenant," which found a major financial backer pulling out, and some apparent concerns over the director’s desire to shoot in sequence. But it looks like Megan Ellison‘s intervention has saved the day, as the movie now has a release date.
Box Office Mojo reveals the gritty movie will arrive on December 25, 2015 in limited release (and wide January 8th, 2016), so might as well start adjusting your future Oscar pool way early. To put it in perspective, this will be opening against "Mission: Impossible 5" and David O. Russell‘s "Joy" starring Jennifer Lawrence—now that’s confidence. And why shouldn’t Fox be feeling good? They’ve now got Ellison involved, and two major movie stars—Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy—to tell the story about a 19th century fur trapper who is mauled by a grizzly bear, left for dead and robbed, who then goes on a mission of vengeance. That said, production is going to be very long.
According to the Calgary Herald, production will be a lengthy 80 days (longer than the 76 days for Ridley Scott‘s "Exodus: Gods And Kings") with shooting to take place from approximately October to March in B.C. and Alberta. No word yet if Iñárritu got his wish to shoot in sequence, but we’d reckon this long haul plan means he did. And this likely means "The Revenant" won’t hit Cannes, and instead will make a stop on next year’s fall festival circuit instead. Get those phones working, Toronto, Telluride and Venice….
So in short: the movie is probably okay, dated and ready to roll. Couldn’t ask for anything more.