It looks like Chris Gorak‘s Russian-set alien invasion thriller “The Darkest Hour” won’t be dawning on us this summer as previously planned with Summit Entertainment now pushing its release deep into the heart of the festive season on December 23rd.
The Timur Bekmambetov-produced film features a strong, up-and-coming cast in Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor as well as Swede Joel Kinnaman (“Snabba Cash“) and follows the story of a group of Americans traveling in Moscow who survive an alien invasion and team up with others to try and fight back. The Christmas date doesn’t exactly sound like the best fit for a indie thriller like this but, with production last summer shut down for at least two weeks due to fires in Moscow, we’re guessing the presumably CGI-heavy film was always behind the 8-ball for the original August release and needed some breathing room.
Gorak (“Right At Your Door“) scripted the thriller along with Josh Zeturner — a Black List favorite who recently penned a script for the now lifeless “Bourne 4” — with the helmer’s experiences as an art director on films like “Fight Club,” “Minority Report,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” promising, at the very least, some interesting aesthetics. We’re pretty keen on seeing where this one goes and even included it in our Most Anticipated Films of 2011 feature.
Lastly, here’s a pap shot of Hirsch and Minghella shooting on location in Moscow that has been kicking around; doesn’t really show much, but. [BoxOfficeMojo]
