People have been pestering me over and over again about adding Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island into the Oscar Best Picture race in my “The Contenders” section as well as adding
Scorsese into the Best Director race. Well, you can stop pestering me now, it won’t be released in 2009. Yup, and it isn’t moving to primetime award season contention in 2010 either, instead, it’s been moved from its October 2 date and is heading to February 19, 2010 and you can color me one of the few that isn’t surprised by the move.
The news comes via Nikki Finke, who’s source tells her, “Paramount told the filmmakers it doesn’t have the financing in 2009 to spend the $50M to $60M necessary to market a big awards pic like this.” I can only assume the reason for this would be the awards chances weren’t that high. Anyone remember a similar move almost exactly a year ago from Paramount with The Soloist?
Now, people are already looking at the move to mid-February and pointing out how it is the slot where Silence of the Lambs debuted in 1991 before going on to win Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Adapted Screenplay in 1992. Well, that is being optimistic in my opinion, but we will have all of 2010 to carry out the debate.
