Entertainment Studios nabs North American rights to Scott Cooper’s western
The best actor Oscar race just gained another contender, as Byron Allens Entertainment Studios has acquired Scott Coopers $50 million Christian Bale-fronted westernHostilesfor North American distribution.
Also starring Rosamund Pike, Jesse Plemons, Ben Foster, Qorianka Kilcher, Wes Studi, and Timothee Chalamet,Hostiles about a hardened Army captain with a bloody past tasked with escorting a Cheyenne war chief and his family through the violent plains of the American west is looking at a December release date to qualify for the 90th Academy Awards, with expansion slated for January 2018.
The film held its world premiere sans distribution deal at the awards-positioning Telluride Film Festival in September before traveling to the Toronto International Film Festival shortly thereafter, where its brutal tone divided critics, though Bale and Pike received standout notices for their performances.
Lorey Sebastian, Le Grisbi Productions/Waypoint Entertainment
Bale enters a field in the awards race that has been largely dominated by Gary Oldman and his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the Joe Wright-helmedDarkest Hour, which has seeminglyfloored pundits on the fall festival circuitin recent weeks.
Other contenders fleshing out the best-actor category competition include BalesHostilescostar Chalamet, who leads Luca Guadagninos searing adaptation of Andre Acimans 2007 novelCall Me By Your Name, Roman J. Israel, Esq.s Denzel Washington, and Jake Gyllenhaal forStronger.
Other contenders whose performances have yet to be seen by critics and festival audiences include Tom Hanks for Steven SpielbergsThe Postand Daniel Day Lewis for Paul Thomas Andersons currently untitled upcoming 1950s-set drama about high society couture fashion in London.
