Per Shock Till You Drop, MGM is pushing the release of The Cabin in the Woods back 11 months, from February 5th, 2010 to January 14th, 2011. The cited reason is that the film has been testing extremely well and MGM wants to capitalize by converting the film to 3D, which would arguably make it a more special release while definitely milking the typical youthful horror audience of a couple dollars more per ticket. It’s an interesting move considering how MGM is in dire straits financially and could surely use the income, but perhaps the February release wasn’t looking good for them anyway. Perhaps there’s an element to this similar to Paramount pushing Shutter Island back four months because they wouldn’t have the necessary marketing budget on hand that the film necessitated.
No matter what the reason, the movie’s delayed and the 3D upgrade shouldn’t get anyone excited. The film was shot for 2D so that process will be done completely in post, meaning engineers will be fabricating the depth manually. It’s what James Cameron has been railing against; well, except for when I’d argue he’s being hypocritical.
The Cabin in the Woods is a project that’s been largely shrouded in secrecy, somewhat similar to Cloverfield‘s production. Drew Goddard makes his directorial debut and co-wrote the script with Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly). Goddard has written for television shows like Buffy, Angel, Alias and Lost while also scripting Cloverfield. The film stars Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz and Amy Acker. The story is supposed to provide a twist on the standard trope of isolating a group of young adults in the woods. Jenkins and Whitford’s characters have an atypical relationship with the cabin that the rest of the cast holes up in.
