Magnolia Pictures has pushed the release of “Slay the Dragon” amid increasing concerns over the coronavirus and switched up the distribution plans for the documentary film about gerrymandering.
Previously scheduled to open only in theaters March 13, “Slay the Dragon” will now be available in theaters, as well as on VOD and digital platforms, on April 3.
“We saw what was happening with the spread of coronavirus and sat down with Magnolia to discuss a last-minute change in our release plan,” “Slay the Dragon” directors Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance said in a statement. “They took the concerns seriously and moved quickly, ensuring that nearly every home in America will have access to our film.”
According to Magnolia, “Gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing electoral maps to serve a single party, has been around for centuries. But in today’s hyperpartisan political environment it has been taken to unprecedented extremes, fueled by the elimination of corporate campaign contribution limits and the availability of vast amounts of personal information. ‘Slay the Dragon’ shines a light on this timely issue, and follows a handful of citizens’ groups, outraged by what they see as an attack on the core democratic principle that every person’s vote should count equally, as they battle party operatives and an entrenched political establishment to fix a broken system.”
You can see the trailer for the film via the video above.
“Slay the Dragon” was directed and produced by Goodman and Durrance and is executive produced by Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Coralie Charriol Paul, and William von Mueffling. Grace McNally is co-producer. Co-executive producers are Daniel Simon and James Simon. The doc is a Participant presentation, in association with React Films, an Ark Media Production.
“Slay the Dragon” is not the first film to have its release date pushed due to heightened concerns about COVID-19. Readers can find TheWrap’s comprehensive roundup of all the Hollywood events that have been affected by the spread of the coronavirus here.