Word has been trickling out about the Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard co-written project Cabin in the Woods for some time now, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting psyched for the film’s release this February (on my birthday, no less!). Now according to our friends over at ShockTillYouDrop, we’ll have to wait a lot longer to see the finished product: Word is that the film, which is also being directed by Goddard, is being delayed until January 11, 2011 while MGM converts it to 3-D.

Apparently, it’s not a punishing delay—MGM reports that it’s actually tracking quite well—but for some reason they’ve deemed a 3-D conversion necessary. I suppose with the box office success of recent 3-D horror films like My Bloody Valentine 3-D and The Final Destination, not to mention animated features like Monsters vs. Aliens and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, studios are beginning to see the attraction of 3-D as a way to lure customers back into theaters.

Quite honestly, I’m all for the new wave of 3-D—the tech can be used to great effect today as a subtle way to increase screen depth, and it still has value for more gimmicky uses (read: Cheesy horror films). What I can’t get behind is the notion of holding back what seems to be a completed film to add 3-D as an afterthought. The technology works best when films are made with it in mind, and while I’m sure we’ll see our fair share of 3-D converted classics soon enough (Toy Story 1 & 2 are just the beginning), we’ve yet to see this process successfully work on a live action film. It seems to be a calculated move to get the movie into higher-priced 3-D screens rather than anything artistic. Then again, I wonder how much a 3-D gloss over would have helped Drag Me to Hell at the box office.

I’m sure we’ll eventually find ways to convert films to 3-D that won’t take six months (and they’ll also probably look quite good), but I’m irked that this particular film is getting such a hefty delay for what seems to be a trivial upgrade.

Discuss: Were you anticipating Cabin in the Woods? How do you feel about future films being converted to 3-D?