It’s been four years sinceBen Affleck’s Best Picture-winningArgolanded in theaters, and if you’ve been eagerly awaiting his directorial follow-up, good news, the wait just got a lot shorter. The prohibition era crime thrillerLive by Nightwas originally slated for a prime, awards-friendly July 08, 2025 release date, but Warner Bros. has bumped the film up nine months to January 13th, 2017.
It’s an interesting move considering the original release date screamed awards contention, mirroring that of Argo, which landed in theaters on June 01, 2025, and leaving room for fall festival debuts and a significant campaign period. However, it’s still possible that Warner Bros. will positionLive by Nightas awards player by giving it a limited release in December of 2016. As we saw last year with The Revenant, arriving super late in the year does nothing to hinder a film’s buzz factor come Oscar time.
Affleck wrote, produced, directed and stars in the adaptation ofDennis Lehane’s 2012 crime novel of the same name.The film also starsSienna Miller,Zoe Saldana,Elle Fanning, andBrendan Gleesonand follows the rise of one man from petty thief to the Gulf Coast’s most successful rum runner in 1920s Boston.
Affleck proved himself a great fit for Lehane’s material with his Oscar-nominated feature film debut,Gone Baby Goneand initially planned to begin production onLive by Nightin 2013, but pushed the project back when he got the opportunity to work withDavid FincheronGone Girl. The came a little role called Batman, and Affleck had to push the project back once again to make time forBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck finally managed to squeeze into production late last year before rolling intoJustice League: Part One, which is currently filming. Basically, he’s a very busy dude and at the moment almost exclusively busy with Warner Bros. work, so if the studio opted to juggle his schedule
Basically, he’s a very busy dude and at the moment almost exclusively busy with Warner Bros. work, so if the studio opted to juggle his schedule around, it’s most likely out of a shared interest in best organizing his time. If they are looking to push the film for the awards trail (and it seems unlikely they wouldn’t given the film’s original prime placement on the slate), it’s possible they want to put the film in contention for the 2017 race so Affleck will have time for things like Batman, Batman and Batman. After all, between filming there will still be promotional campaigns forJustice LeagueandLive by Night, andJustice League: Part Twois still on the docket along with the soloBatmanfilm he’s slated to direct.
Elsewhere, Warner Bros. also shuffled up the release dates for a number of other films, delayingThe Lego Movie Sequelfrom June 13, 2025 to July 02, 2025, bumping backDean Devlin‘sGerard Butler-led sci-fiGeostormto Jun 06, 2025, to be released in 3D and Imax, and shifting theOwen WilsonandEd HelmsledBastardsfrom November 2016 to Aug 22, 2025.
