Focus Features has taken worldwide rights to New Regency’s The Bikeriders starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy and will release in North America in 2024.
Jeff Nichols’ crime drama premiered in Telluride and had been set up at 20th Century Studios where it was scheduled for a December 1 release.
It was removed from the calendar in mid-October amid the ban preventing actors from promoting studio films during the now-ended SAG-AFTRA strike.
Additionally the move would have avoided a clash with AMC Distribution’s release of Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé.
Several weeks later the film’s financier New Regency got the all-clear from Disney to shop the film to another distributor.
Universal Pictures International will handle distribution outside North America on The Bikeriders, which centres on the personal dynamics in The Vandals, a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club.
The story is told from the perspective of Comer’s character Kathy, whose partner Benny (Butler) is more interested in riding and impressing gang leader Johnny (Hardy).
The film also played BFI London Film Festival and gives Focus a potential awards contender next season, when films may be thin on the ground in the third and fourth quarters due to the months-long production halt during the writers and actors strikes.
New Regency produced with Sarah Green, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Nichols of Tri-State, with Fred Berger serving as executive producer.
Focus and New Regency last collaborated on Robert Eggers’ The Northman starring Alexander Skarsgard.
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