'Perdition' burns in July
D'works following successful release pattern
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That's nearly the same frame when the company successfully launched "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998 and "What Lies Beneath" in 2000.
"We've had good luck with this date," DreamWorks distrib chief Jim Tharp said. "This film will appeal to adults, and July is certainly a good month for Tom Hanks."
Many showbizzers initially questioned the summer launch for "Ryan," but its awards and B.O. bounty made July viable for prestige fare not driven by special effects. Miramax has mulled a mid-July slot for its own period drama, "Gangs of New York," which is ticketed for summer but has no official date.
The addition of "Perdition" (whose title refers to a town in Kansas) pumps up the volume for next summer, which already features "Minority Report," "Men in Black 2," "Scooby-Doo," "Spider-Man" and the next "Star Wars" installment. "Perdition" will open the same weekend as "Reign of Fire," Disney's Spyglass-produced actioner starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale.
"Perdition" is based on a graphic novel about a hitman known as the Angel of Death (Hanks) seeking to avenge the murders of his wife and son in the Depression-era Midwest.
Pic is a co-venture with Fox, which will distribute internationally.
Mendes' follow-up to "American Beauty" also stars Jude Law, Paul Newman, Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Also on board are cinematographer Conrad Hall, an Oscar winner for "Beauty," and screenwriter David Self, who wrote "Thirteen Days."
Pic, which wrapped its Illinois shoot last summer, once was skedded for a December bow. Execs, who viewed a rough cut in September, opted not to qualify it for this year's Oscars.
"We felt it was better to be patient," explained Richard D. Zanuck, who is producing the film along with son Dean Zanuck and Mendes. "It's a good counterprogramming move."
Even though he produced last summer's "Planet of the Apes" remake, Zanuck agrees with the industry consensus that summer 2001 lacked the kind of substance "Perdition" is aiming to deliver.
"Summer is the playground for effects pictures," he said, "but after a while, the audience starts longing for something more."
