Lionsgate Squashes 'Bug'?
Filed under: New Releases, Lionsgate Films, Distribution
William Friedkin's Bug, which garnered passionate reviews (both good and bad) after its Cannes premiere, has been pushed back from its scheduled December 1, 2006 opening to an unknown date in 2007, according to sources at Lionsgate. Apparently, the film was being prepped for Academy screenings before the decision was made. No official comment has been made, but it's highly probable that the studio has no idea how to handle this potentially disturbing film. Based on a play by Tracy Letts, Ashley Judd stars as Agnes, a melancholy bartender who meets up with a creepy ex-soldier (Michael Shannon, who played the role on stage) in a desert hotel room. Bugs that may or may not be real begin burrowing under their skin. Harry Connick Jr. co-stars as Agnes' volatile ex-husband.Friedkin won a Best Director Oscar in 1972 for The French Connection and subsequently helmed one of the all-time box office champions, The Exorcist (1973). But the consensus is that his career since has been a tailspin, and that Bug might be his comeback. Says Kent Jones in the July/August issue of Film Comment, "Hurricane Billy has churned out a lot of crap in his 40-year career, but he has about five or six triumphs, and this ingenious and truly disreputable film is one of them."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-04-2006 @ 2:03PM
Peter said...
That's the sound of my heart breaking.
Reply
11-04-2006 @ 2:20PM
Scott Weinberg said...
That's a shame. I saw it at Fantastic Fest and I thought it was really damn good. Best work Friedkin's done in years. Ditto Judd. And Michael Shannon's performance is nothing short of amazing.
Reply
11-04-2006 @ 2:24PM
Jette Kernion said...
I saw Bug at Fantastic Fest and it was much better than I expected -- I'm truly sorry the release may be delayed. It's a little stagy at times, but I agree this could be one of Friedkin's better films. Michael Shannon was amazing.
Reply
11-04-2006 @ 2:39PM
Peter said...
Couldn't you two of just said it sucked? That doesn't dull the pain any.
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11-04-2006 @ 2:41PM
Scott Weinberg said...
It sucked.
Reply