Kenneth Lonergan’s Long-Delayed ‘Margaret’ Finally Gets A Release Date
Way back when, wereportedon a film calledMargaretbyYou Can Count on MedirectorKenneth Lonergan. At that point — 2009 — the film had already been delayed for years, and our post was an explanation of the various reasons why. Now, three years afterthat, the film is finally set to get a release.
StarringAnna Paquin,Mark RuffaloandMatt Damon,Margaretrevolves around a young woman dealing with guilt and grief in the wake of a tragic bus accident. The film marks a reunion for Ruffalo and Lonergan, who previously worked together on the excellentYou Can Count on Me. Read more after the jump.
To make a long story short, Lonergan was unable to finish the film in a way that satisfied both him and the studio. A large part of the contention was overMargaret’s length — Lonergan’s cut ran three hours, Fox Searchlight demanded that he get it down to two. Various editors, includingSydney Pollack,Scott Rudin, andThelma Schoonmaker, came and went, loans were had (from Lonergan’s buddyMatthew Broderick, who has a supporting role in the film), and an ugly legal battle ensued.
This past spring, however, producerGary Gilbertpromisedthat we’d see the long-delayed film hit theaters before the end of the year, and it seems he’s making good on the promise:Margaretis now set to openSeptember 30, according toExhibitor Relations. The cut that’s being released seems to be the one “arbitrated” byMartin Scorsese, asmentionedby Ruffalo earlier this year.
Oddly enough, the delay has madeMargaret’s release extra timely. Ruffalo has called the movie “a love story to a post-9/11 America and New York City,” and, well, you probably don’t need me to tell you what tragic event hits its ten-year anniversary this fall. The attack is bound to be extra-fresh in people’s minds right around the time ofMargaret’s premiere.
Though no one’s seen the final cut at this point (obviously), it sounds like we’re in for a treat. Brendon Connelly, while writing about the project for /Film, called the script “truly splendid,” and Scorsese issaidto have called a 2006 cut of the film “a masterpiece.” Though the movie’s undoubtedly changed a lot since then, I’m hoping that not all of its greatness has been lost. At the very least, the director and the cast haven’t changed — and they were a huge part of whyMargaretwas so highly anticipated to begin with.
