First, Bryan Singer’s WWII actioner (starring Tom Cruise) was slated for fall, then it got pushed to Feb. 13. Now, MGM has moved the film to open on Dec. 26. According to Variety, sources close to events said the move was made for purely commercial reasons, after a screening of the film went well. The studio sees it as a holiday pic and award consideration was not a factor, they say.
In other MGM news, Paula Wagner on Wednesday announced that she will be exiting as chief executive officer of United Artists.
She will retain an ownership interest in UA.
Wagner’s departure raises questions about the future of United Artists — and what will happen to the $500 million Merrill Lynch revolving fund that was allotted for UA films but that has barely been tapped.
Since Wagner and Tom Cruise became co-owners of the company with MGM, Wagner tried to greenlight movies but frequently butted heads with MGM. Harry Sloan was concentrating on his own slate, which he was developing with head of production Mary Parent, and trying to raise financing for MGM pics.
MGM execs insist that Wagner could have greenlit anything she wanted but wasn’t developing aggressively enough.