Breakin’ News: “The Hobbit” Likely Delayed Til 2012

Variety just posted an article about New Line and there is a juicy nugget about “The Hobbit”.

[WB Prexy Alan] Horn won’t predict when the first of the two Hobbit films will be out, but says the most probable scenario would be a release in the fourth quarter of 2012.

That is a full year after the planned December 2011 release for the first of the two-part series. This is still largely up in the air at this point, but ugh. I just hope they get made soon.

Schedule Changes: “Piranha 3-D” Delayed, Will Ravage August Audiences

The Weinstein Company isn’t doing so hot lately. They have fumbled several big releases, including “The Road,” and “Nine” is reportedly bringing in very little money. Whatever is going on over there, something caused them to push “Piranha 3-D” from its April 16 release date to Aug. 27, according to Shock Til You Drop.

To find out why, join me after the jump.

‘Youth’ Won’t Revolt Until 2010

The Weinstein Company has done it again. “Youth in Revolt,” starring Michael Cera, had a planned release on Oct. 30 but has now been pushed back to Jan. 15. This is yet another long-delayed film from The Weinstein Co. and the film, just like “The Road,” has garnered a great reception in it’s festival tour.

As a condolence to anyone who was looking forward to this film, I bring you something bitter-sweet: the trailer.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Thanks to Cinematical for bringing this to my attention.

Schedule Changes: Weinstein Company, Paramount Shuffle Dates

First off, let me inform you that the rumor of “The Road” being pushed back to Thanksgiving has been confirmed. Dimension (co-distributor with The Weinstein Company) head Bob Weinstein told Variety, “We’ve been getting great audience reaction at Venice and Telluride.” Weinstein went on to add, “We feel that this is a commercial film that’s worthy of a wide release.”

The Thanksgiving release date also places it before the Golden Globe nominations. However, what was wrong with the Oct. 16 slot? The film is getting great press (save for Variety’s review) from Telluride and the Venice Film Festival, and last year was supposed to be an awards contender as well until it was pushed back. I’ve previously discussed why I think the Thanksgiving slot is a poor release date but won’t harp on this any longer. What is done is done. Thanks Weinstein for messing up my birthday (Oct. 16).

In other news, Paramount has made some moves as well. First, “Up in the Air” and “Paranormal Activity” have finally been given release dates on Nov. 13 and Sept. 25, respectively. “Air” has been getting great reviews so far and is primed to be an awards contender while “Paranormal”, a low-budget hand held camera horror flick, has been getting positive early response.

Also, the late Heath Ledger’s final film appearance in “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” will be released on Christmas (Dec. 25).

Schedule Changes: ‘The Green Hornet’ Pushed Back To Dec. 2010

Jackson Bishop at Collider noticed something funny at Box Office Mojo. The release date for “The Green Hornet” had suddenly been pushed back (yet again) to Dec. 17, but with little in the way of explanation. So, Drew McWeeny at Hitfix decided to ask star Seth Rogen upfront about the jump, and we get a little confirmation and explanation from him in the process after the jump:

Why Did ‘Shutter Island’ Get A New Release Date?

The Martin Scorsese directed Shutter Island has been pushed back from Oct. 2 to next year by Paramount Pictures. This unexpected move results in a Feb. 19 release for a film that has an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley.

So, what is the reasoning behind this? Hit the jump to find out.