Not for the first time, Oliver Stone’s Snowden biopic has been delayed, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that the film will now open on September 16.
Once pegged to arrive in Christmas of 2015, before relocating to May 13 of this year, today’s announcement aligns Stone’s button-pressing drama with the beginning of 2016’s awards season. However, by the same token, it also quells speculation that Snowden would open this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May.
Placing Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Walk) into the shoes of the former NSA contractor and whistleblower, the director’s picture will act as the first narrative feature to chronicle the history of the divisive figure, who was thrust into the eye of a media storm upon leaking a string of classified information concerning unconstitutional global surveillance and the PRISM program. Also on board are Divergent alum Shailene Woodley as Edward Snowden’s girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, along with Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto and Nicolas Cage
If last year’s postponement nudged Snowden out of an awards-friendly window, then Open Road Films’ decision to push the drama to September not only shields it from summer blockbuster fare – namely X-Men: Apocalypse – but it also gives Stone’s star-studded and topical feature a chance to garner momentum during fall’s festival circuit ahead of Oscars 2017. Laura Poitras’ documentary Citizenfour, meanwhile, clinched the coveted prize for Best Documentary in 2015.
In light of today’s second reshuffling effort, Open Road Films will now bring Snowden to theaters on September 16.