Lionsgate pulls Antebellum, Run & Spiral from the release schedule

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The coronavirus has caused more films to vacate their release dates. It has been announced that Lionsgate has pulled horror film ANTEBELLUM, the Sarah Paulson thriller RUN and the Chris Rock–Samuel L. Jackson take on SAW, SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW. As of now, all three films haven't been given new release dates.

ANTEBELLUM was set for release on April 24, RUN was set for May 8, and SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW was set for May 15. They join a list of films that have been removed from the schedule indefinitely in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The spread of the virus has caused the movie theaters across the nation to shut their doors, a move that is unprecedented for the industry. The Lionsgate releases weren't the only films to be removed from the schedule yesterday. Marvel's BLACK WIDOW, which almost defiantly appeared to want to stay put on May 1st, was pushed back to an unknown date as well. Movies set for release between now through May, clearly weren't safe to maintain their dates and even June releases and beyond look questionable. Warner Bros. still has WONDER WOMAN 1984 slated for a June 5 release but I wouldn't be surprised to hear an announcement of its move in the coming days.

ANTEBELLUM stars Janelle Monae as Veronica, a successful author who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. The film had already released two trailers that were beautifully shrouded in mystery as to not give too much of the plot away. Produced by the creators of GET OUT & US, the film was definitely building momentum but could easily be shifted to later in the year, presumably, without much of a problem.

RUN, starring Sarah Paulson, follows a homeschooled teenager. played by Kiera Allen, who begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her. The film is on a smaller scale than most of the films being pulled from the schedule so it could also prove to be an easier move as well, especially because the marketing push hadn't quite started yet for the film.

SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW is a re-imagining of the SAW franchise & in the movie, police are tracking a serial killer who is targeting cops and seems to be replicating murders from the past. Chris Rock takes the lead in the film and even conceived the story for the film as a huge fan of the original franchise. He is joined by co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols & Max Minghella. Lionsgate seems to have a lot riding on this film and they were definitely gearing up for an aggressive marketing campaign. For all three of these films, Lionsgate is said to be evaluating the next steps, dates, and strategies for bringing the film's back to the schedule. I personally was looking forward to all three but understand with the current state of affairs, it's impossible to release a film theatrically at this time. 

Do YOU think these films will get new dates for THIS year or will they be pushed further?