The trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War dropped late last year to a mix of reactions. Fans of Garland didn’t know what to make heads or tails out of the project since the epic scope lends itself to more of a big-budget blockbuster action film. Despite the filmmaker not being known for partaking in Michael Bay-style action, the imagery of the war sequences shown in the trailer promotes a kind of action fare that gives off the impression it could be a “one for them” type of movie, especially since A24 has shown interest in getting involved in franchise films. On the other hand, the subject matter is heavy enough and the 28 Days Later filmmaker has been known for making apocalyptic films with an enormous sense of dread.
Audiences will now get a chance to experience the war tale earlier after A24 announced that the Kirsten Dunst film has moved up slightly in the calendar to earlier in April. According to Deadline, Civil War was originally slated for April 26, but the movie will now be opening on April 12. The original release date pitted the war film in a weekend that scheduled the Amazon MGM Zendaya tennis dramedy, Challengers, and Lionsgate’s Unsung Hero. It was also previously rumored that Civil War would have lasted over three hours, but it had been clarified by A24 that the length of the film clocks in at 109 minutes.
In A24’s Civil War, the plot revolves around “19 states seceding from the United States, with factions forming in the West and Florida. Meanwhile, the President says the conflict will be dealt with swiftly, but are things already impossible to control? While some choose to engage with the catastrophe head-on, others prefer to pretend like it’s not happening right outside their door. As the President sends the American military out to “resolve” matters in the West, people are left to despair as the world burns around them. Meanwhile, Kirsten Dunst’s character appears to be leading a team of journalists toward the U.S. Capitol, presumably to get answers about how they plan to quell the ongoing violence.”
Civil War also stars Wagner Moura (Narcos), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Stephen Henderson (Dune), Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina), Jesse Plemons (Power of Dog), and Nick Offerman (The Last of Us).
A24 produced the film alongside Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA and Gregory Goodman.