A24 Delays 'Under The Silver Lake' Again To Spring 2019

A24 is trying to turn silver into box office gold with yet another release date delay for David Robert Mitchell's divisive neo-noir, Under the Silver Lake. The beloved indie studio is pushing back the release date to April 2019, making this the second delay for the darkly comic noir starring Andrew Garfield.

All eyes were trained on David Robert Mitchell following the acclaim of his breakout 2014 horror hit It Follows. And when he scored talent like Andrew Garfield, Topher Grace, and Riley Keough for his follow-up, Under the Silver Lake, A24 quickly snatched up the rights to the film, building up hype to its May 2018 debut at the Cannes Film Festival. But instead of a worthy follow-up, Under the Silver Lake ended up being more of a slump, dividing critics who soundly slammed the film.

Soon after that tepid Cannes premiere, A24 made the decision to move Under the Silver Lake from its high-profile summer release date in June to December 7, 2018. But now, according to Indiewire, that release date has been pushed back again to April 19, 2019.

A representative at Cinetic Marketing says the spring release date will give the movie "the best possible chance in the marketplace," helping Under the Silver Lake to avoid the crowded fall awards fare. The numerous delays don't bode well for the film, though at least A24 didn't dump it in the "movie graveyards" of January or February. Still, it seems to suggest the studio has lost confidence in the movie or are concerned it will damage A24's reputation as the hip indie studio with a slew of hits. Under the Silver Lake probably isn't so bad as that (after all, A24 did release Slice) but it's probably simply a disappointment for the studio considering the big names and the hype surrounding Robert Mitchell.

/Film's own Sarah Foulkes called Under the Silver Lake a "messy, troublesome, and sometimes fascinating" film, writing in her review, "It dances with so many styles, themes and subplots, but leaves the audience feeling dizzy. Nonetheless, there is a great film in there. I suspect that's why A24 has pushed the release date six months, in order to rediscover a shorter, more concise cut. But in regards to this version, which has the makings of a cult classic, it's the perfect film if you want to ride shotgun down a lost highway."

Here is the official synopsis for Under the Silver Lake:

From the dazzling imagination that brought you It Follows comes a delirious neonoir fever dream about one man's search for the truth behind the mysterious crimes, murders and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood.

Sam (Andrew Garfield) is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah (Riley Keough), frolicking in his apartment's swimming pool. When she vanishes, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy in the City of Angels.

Under the Silver Lake hits theaters on April 19, 2019.