We probably should’ve seen this one coming. With a November release date approaching, we still had seen literally nothing from Warner Bros.’ Midnight Special, an original sci-fi film from Mud and Take Shelter writer/director Jeff Nichols. Moreover, Warners plopped down the buzzworthy Creed on Midnight Special’s same November 25th, Thanksgiving release date. One of the movies was going to be moved, and it probably wasn’t going to be the one everyone’s been talking about.

Indeed, Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has moved Midnight Special off the November release date and has now slotted it for March 18, 2016. The puts it directly against The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1, the Jennifer Garner-fronted drama Miracles from Heaven, and Paramount’s Monster Trucks. It’s a somewhat crowded date, but more curiously, it’s one week before Warner Bros.’ superhero epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is unleashed upon the world. It seems odd the studio would open an original sci-fi movie one week before they also release one of the biggest tentpoles of 2016, but then again we’ve seen nothing from the film, so we don’t exactly know what to expect.

Regardless of the release date issues, Midnight Special has a ton of promise. Described as in the vein of a 1980s John Carpenter movie, the film stars Michael Shannon as a father who goes on the run from religious extremists and local law enforcement in order to protect his young son (Jaeden Lieberher) and uncover the truth about the boy’s special powers. The impressive ensemble also includes Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Sam Shepard.

Original sci-fi is hard to come by these days, and good original sci-fi is even rarer, so here’s hoping the release date shift works out in Midnight Special’s favor.


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Image via Sony Pictures Classics