‘The Bikeriders’ Acquired by Focus [Updated]

UPDATED: It’s been acquired by Focus Features. A 2024 theatrical release is planned. Universal will distribute the movie overseas.

EARLIER: Before I dive into this, just a brief shout out to the hardworking Jeff Sneider, a friend of WoR, who very recently launched a movie newsletter that’s worth your time — you can subscribe here.

Now, Sneider has a breaking story that seems to have people talking this morning …

Disney is no longer set to release Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders.” New Regency is now looking for a new distribution partner for the film and is considering all release possibilities, including a streaming release.

Last month, there was a report that “The Bikeriders” had been delayed indefinitely amid the actors’ strike. The film was supposed to open on December 1st, 2023. Now it has no release date. It’s in limbo.

The cast of “The Bikeriders” is stacked, including the likes of Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus and Mike Faist.

“The Bikeriders” is set in the 1960s following the rise of a fictional, midwestern motorcycle club. Seen through the lives of its members, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a full-out gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life.

The film premiered at Telluride in September. The reviews were good — an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and 71 on Metacritic. I’ve personally heard mixed things about it, and it’s definitely not an awards player, but a new film from Nichols is always worth a look.

Nichols is the filmmaker behind “Take Shelter,” “Mud” and “Loving,” his last film was released in 2016, so he’s clearly itching to get this one out.