Financial Crunch Trips Up Two Movies
Wed, June 10, 2009 
Brandon Routh on the set of "Unthinkable."The economic situation besieging us all has had an effect in Hollywood and the most recent company to feel the pinch is indie distributor Senator U.S.
The cash-strapped unit is being forced to indefinitely postpone the release of a pair of movies: "Unthinkable" and "Brooklyn's Finest."
The second movie is a Antoine Fuqua-directed picture that has gone through a series of tweaks in post-production to fix some problems. The movie also has legal issues involving the distribution rights. The movie, which was scheduled to come out in November, features a quality cast, including: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ellen Barkin and Will Patton. Word on the street is that the movie may have had trouble being released even without the financial concerns.
More disappointing is the postponement of "Unthinkable," which had been gearing up for an October release. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Sheen, Carrie-Anne Moss, Brandon Routh, Stephen Root and Martin Donovan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter: "Releasing the pic involves the relatively straightforward matter of locating the P&A -- not easy, but not legally complicated -- and then finding someone to help release the pic, since the company's marketing and distribution staff have been depleted."
Senator U.S. already has an agreement with Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group for "DVD and other ancillary revenue" for its existing movies -- including "Unthinkable" and "Brooklyn's Finest." The trick now, however, will be finding partners to get the movies into theaters.
Reader Comments (2)
Darn. With a cast like that I would think it would be easy to find marketing support. Samual L. Jackson has a great track record. Oh please I hope with the movie business seemingly doing so well even with the rest of the economy still having difficulty I hope this movie gets back on the fast track to release. I need a Brandon fix and this sounds like a really good movie.
Thanks for the update; but am not thrilled about this particular bit of news!