Posted in: Movies, News | Tagged: 20th century studios, Austin Butler, New Regency, the bikeriders

The Bikeriders Reportedly Shopping For A New Distributor

The Bikeriders was removed from the release schedule last month, but new reports say that New Regency is shopping the film for a new distributor.

Published Tue, 21 Nov 2023 11:17:08 -0600

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

The Bikeriders, once set to be released during the awards season, is now seeking a new distributor.
New Regency aims to revive the film after it was pulled from Disney's schedule.
Past flops raise questions about the New Regency and 20th Century Studios partnership.
Starring Austin Butler and Tom Hardy, The Bikeriders' release date remains unknown.

Back in mid-October, 20th Century Studios and Disney decided to pull The Bikeriders, staring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy, and directed by Jeff Nichols, from its planned early December release date, citing the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes as the reason. The film had already premiered and screened at several film festivals, so it's already out there for people to see, and it seemed like everyone was setting it up to be an awards contender. However, Disney didn't put the film back on the schedule after the strike ended. Instead, we are now getting various reports that New Regency, which produced The Bikeriders, is shopping the film around town for a new distributor. The Wrap specifically says that their sources told them that "the move to find a new distributor was New Regency-driven, and the film wasn't dumped by Disney."

First Look At Austin Butler In 20th Century Studios The Bikeriders — Austin Butler as "Benny" in 20th Century Studios' THE BIKERIDERS. Photo credit: Kyle Kaplan. All Rights Reserved.

The working relationship between New Regency and 20th Century Studios in the post-pandemic era hasn't been fantastic. While they were involved with Barbarian, a commercial and critical success, there have been more flops than success stories. First, the thriller Deep Water was critically mauled and shuffled off to Hulu during the pandemic due to ongoing delays. However, the last two big films that the two have released together have spectacularly failed. Amsterdam might have featured half of the biggest names in Hollywood and the funniest on-screen death of a pop star in recent memory. However, it absolutely bombed at the box office, bringing in just over $30 million on a budget of $80 million. The Creator might have faired better with the critics, but it only just cracked $100 million on a budget of $80 million. Is this a sign that this working relationship is falling apart? We'll have to see, but the track record isn't looking good, and all parties involved really needed and wanted The Bikeriders to be a critical and commercial success story that maybe brought in some Oscar gold. That is no longer possible, and we'll have to see if this is another film that ends up on the shelf for months or years before we finally see it.

The Bikeriders: Cast List, Summary, Release Date

From writer-director Jeff Nichols (Loving, Midnight Special, Mud) and New Regency, The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members, starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Last Duel), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant).

Inspired by Danny Lyon's iconic book of photography, The Bikeriders immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of '60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who's married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals' evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband's untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny's attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.

The cast, most of whom did their own riding on an array of period-correct bikes, also includes Michael Shannon (Bullet Train), Mike Faist (West Side Story), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead). Sarah Green, p.g.a., Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, p.g.a., and Arnon Milchan are the producers. Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Sam Hanson, David Kern, and Fred Berger are the executive producers. The Bikeriders currently doesn't have a release date.