The release date of the new Martin Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio thriller “Shutter Island” has been delayed by four months. The movie, based on the book by Dennis Lehane, was scheduled for release on October 5 but has now been shoved back to February 2010. While conspiracy theorists try to look for gossip, Paramount says it was a simple business decision. “Our 2009 slate was greenlit in a very different economic climate,” says Chairman and CEO Brad Grey. “As a result we must remain flexible and willing to recalibrate and adapt to a changing environment…This is a situation facing every single studio as we all work through the financial pressures associated with the broader downturn.” “Shutter Island”, penned for the screen by Laeta Kalogridis, sees DiCaprio as a Federal Marshal in 1954, investigating the apparent escape of a murderess from a high security mental asylum on the titular island, and was tipped as a candidate for possible Oscar nominations next year, something the release date move could potentially threaten.
Still, Grey makes no apologies for the delay of the film both domestically and internationally, saying the decision was made to “best manage Paramount’s business in a way that serves Viacom and its shareholders, while providing the film with every possible chance to succeed both creatively and financially.” The movie leaves Paramount with just two or three movies left for release this year, Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones”, which opens in December, the horror film “Carriers”, which is set for September, and the George Clooney starring “Up In The Air”, whose release date is yet to be announced.
