Lionsgate has officially delayed Chaos Walking, starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, till January 2021 after it missed its original release date last year. The YA book adaptation craze took over Hollywood a few years ago following the success of The Hunger Games, and Lionsgate was the beneficiary of this. As a result, they've spent the last several years trying to make Chaos Walking their new YA franchise.
Based on the book series by author Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking became a highly anticipated project for many with the hirings of the MCU's Spider-Man and Rey from the new Star Wars trilogy. The movie takes place in a world where people can hear each other's thoughts, and women are thought to have been wiped out by a virus until Holland's character meets Ridley's. Lionsgate originally announced the film was moving forward with a 2019 release date in mind. With Doug Liman attached to direct, production began in late 2017 to hit that date. However, it was reported in early 2018 that Chaos Walking required reshoots that could delay the film's release.
After the movie missed it's 2019 date, Lionsgate has finally announced just how long those anticipating Chaos Walking will have to wait to see it. As shared by Deadline, the studio has confirmed that the movie will now hit theaters on January 22, 2021. The reason for the delay is believed to be tied to the busy schedules of Holland and Ridley, which held up plans to do the reshoots, which will reportedly cost around $15 million.
It isn't a surprise to see Chaos Walking delayed given the troubled production it has had so far. Holland revealed last year that he was doing some additional work on the movie with Liman, but it appears that more reshoots will happen in the future. Previous reports stated that Don't Breathe director Fede Alvarez was going to help on Chaos Walking's reshoots, but it is unknown if he'll be involved in any additional photography too.
Now that Lionsgate has given Chaos Walking a new release date, hopefully, this is the one that will stick, and whatever issues the film currently has will be fixed before then. There is certainly reason for concern that this won't happen, especially with multiple examples of delayed, heavily reshot blockbusters delivering underwhelming finished films to theaters. Meanwhile, January is traditionally viewed as a dumping ground for studios. With source material that offers room for sequels (and stars like Holland and Ridley onboard), Lionsgate could still have a franchise on their hands if Chaos Walking proves to be worth the wait.
Source: Deadline