Michael K. Williams in The Road

(Sigh) Slash Film has learned from sources at Dimension Films that the big-screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road will be delayed, yet again - knocked back from its current mid-October release date to a late November debut in theaters. If you didn't already know, The Road has already been delayed a year: it was supposed to be in theaters in late November of 2008.

There's no explanation as to why the move is being made - I'm pretty sure mid-October is still fair ground for Oscar hopefuls and the term "late November" (the start of the Holiday Season) is a practically synonymous with "crowded movie market" in this country.

So what's the deal?

At this point I'm willing to believe anything. The Weinstein company has been so crazy about this flick that the story of making it is beginning to shadow the film itself. A year ago the novel was still a scorching hot topic - but that conversation has gone quiet around the water cooler now. And after missing that window of opportunity, how does the studio compensate? By tampering with the trailer to try to lure in as many people as possible on the false promises of Charlize Theron and an action/epic film.

Not to mention, as Slash Film points out, there are SO many other films coming out at that time - Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ninja Assassin, The Princess and the Frog - that The Road could get lost in the mix.

On the other hand, it's only now that I've started to warm up to this movie version of The Road. It's been long enough since I've read the book. I've seen clips from the film that are not only thrilling, they somehow get more thrilling each time I watch them. Lately the idea of The Road: The Movie has been sounding more and more like a welcome thing. So who knows, maybe Bob and Harvey Weinstein have a voodoo priestess on payroll who foretells when it's best for their movies to drop. Maybe they'll somehow strike gold (as in statues) with this 'genius last-minute audible.'

The Road Poster: Robert Duvall Guy Pearce Charlize Theron

I just want to see The Road, already... Dimension Films, if you're out there, get me into a screening I swear it'll shut me up.

The Road will be in theaters November 25, 2009...for now.

Source: Slash Film