As movie theaters (along with most non-essential businesses) continue to close in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus, multiple studios are yanking upcoming films from the release schedule. The latest to follow suit is Lionsgate, with Deadline reporting that three notable upcoming titles have been taken off the calendar: Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, Antebellum, and Run—all of which were slated for release in April and May.
The highly-anticipated horror film Antebellum, starring Janelle Monae, was set for April 24. The feature directing debut from Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz follows a woman (Monae) who finds herself trapped in a horrifying new reality that—based on the trailers—looks an awful lot like a Civil War-era plantation. Run, set for release on May 8, is a new thriller from Searching director Aneesh Chaganty. The film stars Sarah Paulson as a mother keeping a deadly secret from her wheelchair-bound daughter, played by newcomer Kiera Allen (who uses a wheelchair in real life). And finally there’s Spiral, starring Chris Rock (and based on his own story idea), a continuation of the Saw franchise that was scheduled to hit theaters on May 15.
It’s unclear if Lionsgate will follow in the footsteps of Universal and Warner Bros., both of which have moved to release a few higher-profile titles—like The Invisible Man and Birds Of Prey—on VOD much earlier than intended.