Deadline has just reported that one of the films I was looking forward to the most this Summer has been pushed back to next year. Jupiter Ascending, the latest Sci-Fi offering from Andy and Lana Wachowski has been pushed from its July 18th release date all the way back to February 6th, 2015. Starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, the film follows an assassin (Tatum) as he protects a young destitute woman (Kunis) who has the same genetics as the Queen of the Universe, and is destined to overthrow her. Per Deadline, no reason has been given yet for the shift.
Say what you will about the Wachowskis, but they are certainly ambitious. They set a new benchmark for action and science fiction with The Matrix, and even its lackluster sequels still had some stunning action sequences. Their followups Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas definitely have their detractors, but both films were among my favorites of their respective years. I was really looking forward to seeing what they had to offer with Jupiter Ascending, as it’s not only a new film from them but it’s also a large-scale blockbuster not based on previously existing material – something we are sorely lacking in today’s studio landscape. February certainly allows more box-office opportunity than January does, but still the fact it’s been pushed back is usually more of a bad sign than a good one. Here’s hoping that this doesn’t mean negative things on the behalf of the quality of the film, and if a reason is released for the date change we’ll be sure to let you know.
UPDATE: THR cites additional VFX work as the reason for the release date change.
Jupiter Ascending stars Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Doona Bae, James D’Arcy and Eddie Redmayne. It will be released February 6th, 2015.
