For me, Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders is emblematic of Disney’s big content problem. They were set to put out the star-studded biker flick in time for a 2023 awards run, but about a month ago, they decided to wash their hands of the finished film, with Nichols’ usual studio, Focus Features, swooping in to pick it up. It’s very strange to me that Disney, which owns the studio (20th Century Films) that was set to distribute it, didn’t see any potential in a movie starring Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Michael Shannon. Given how many flops they’ve had recently, why not take a chance at an upscale adult audience with something a little different?
At any rate, their loss in Focus’s gain, with the studio now slating it for a June 24, 2024 release. The studio has had a lot of luck with summer counter-programming over the years, and indeed the star-studded cast adds a good degree of mainstream appeal to Nichols’ first movie since Loving in 2016.
The film is based on the famous photo book of the same name by Danny Lyon and revolves around the formation of a Chicago Motorcycle Club called Outlaws MC, which starts as a social club but eventually becomes more sinister. The movie had a film festival run this fall in anticipation of a 2023 roll-out, but it was initially delayed due to the cast being unable to promote it due to the SAG/AFTRA strike. It was considered a strange move by Disney to drop the film, especially with Austin Butler and Jodie Comer being rising stars, with Tom Hardy is arguably one of the most popular leading men of the era. At any rate, Focus feels like a better home for this movie, and hopefully, they’ll give it the care a film by Jeff Nichols deserves. I hope we don’t have to wait another eight years for his next movie.