Just when you think the pandemic-induced domino effect that’s been affecting the theatrical release calendar for two years is drawing to a close, along comes Warner Bros. with a wide-ranging reshuffle of the studio’s upcoming slate.
Most notably, DCEU fans were left devastated when Black Adam, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash were pushed back, but at least Shazam! Fury of the Gods was moved forward by six months to help soften the blow. Dwayne Johnson’s franchise debut was initially set for July 29, but his Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch’s star-studded actioner Bullet Train has now stepped in to claim the date for itself.
The Brad Pitt-led blockbuster has been bumped two weeks from its previous July 15 bow, which in turn was three months later than the originally-intended April 8 rollout. Based on how well the first full-length trailer was received by genre aficionados, WB must be confident that Leitch will deliver yet another explosive, ass-kicking box office success.
Having previously co-helmed John Wick before flying solo on Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and the aforementioned Hobbs & Shaw, the filmmaker has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the industry’s foremost purveyors of cinematic destruction, which is just one of many reasons why we’re excited for Bullet Train.
It’s got the potential to be one of the year’s biggest sleeper hits should it live up to the deranged levels of gung-ho insanity we were promised by the trailer, it’s just a shame we’ll have to wait two weeks longer to find out if Bullet Train can deliver.
