One of most anticipated films of last year was "Snowpiercer," the ambitious adaptation of an obscure French comic book by supremely talented South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, who was responsible for genuine masterpieces "Memories of Murder," "The Host," and "Mother." Then... things stalled. The movie, which had a largely English-speaking cast (including Chris Evans, John Hurt, Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer, and Tilda Swinton), was deemed "too long" by Weinstein Company head Harvey Weinstein, and the two worked to cut 20 minutes from the movie. Things stalled again. But now it seems like some kind of peace accord has been struck. It's not a perfect arrangement, but film fans will be very happy.
According to Deadline (this has yet to be confirmed by the Weinstein Company), under the "Snowpiercer" armistice, the film will be released uncut in the United States (and, presumably, all other English-speaking territories that the Weinsteins control the rights to). Say it with me now: YAY! The only downside to this is that, instead of a big-time roll out, "Snowpiercer" will receive a limited release with the possibility of platform release. In other words: if you live outside of a major metropolitan area, it might be a bit of a trek to get to see "Snowpiercer." But we have a feeling that it will be worth it.
The movie concerns a post-apocalyptic landscape where humanity has been relegated to one huge train, with each train car representing a different class or social strata. While the premise sounds wacky, Bong is one of the world's premier genre visionaries and we cannot wait to see the glorious world he's created in its full splendor. While a release date hasn't been situated, this sounds like late a spring/summer contender for sure.