I really hope that Solomon Kane gets a wide US release, with all the advertising shabang the movie deserves. It would break my heart to see this pearl go direct-to-dvd just because the distributors are afraid of anything coming out of the independent market.

UPDATE

The director Michael J. Bassett has posted on his twitter, that the rumour about Lionsgate is not true. This is sad news, let’s hope someone picks up SK for real soon.

Even Fox Searchlight, one of the few remaining studio specialty divisions, has been somewhat quiet. Since picking up ”The Wrestler” at Toronto last fall, the label has made just one fest purchase: ”Adam,” a small indie drama that played in Sundance’s competition in January.

The consolidation of the indie and specialty-division landscape is alarming to filmmakers and sales agents, but Searchlight isn’t happy about it, either.

“We don’t want to be the last man standing with the entire burden of specialized cinema resting on our shoulders,” Searchlight’s acquisitions head Tony Safford confided as he headed out for his late-June vacation. “Without New Line and (Paramount) Vantage really being in the game, and without Warner Independent, suddenly there are 20-30 films that aren’t being distributed. Maybe half shouldn’t have been distributed, but half should have.”

John Sloss, who is repping domestic sales on two Cannes fest entries still looking for homes – Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” and Alejandro Amenabar’s “Agora” — said the specialty biz may be facing a sea change.

“I’ve been an optimist and a defender of the core elements of indie distribution, but it’s hard to explain the lack of presence of specialized distributors in the market,” Sloss said.

Sobering words indeed for those awaiting the release of the completed “Kane” film.  The dismal situation reported by Variety certainly clouds the hopes for an autumn distribution date in the U.S. that would coincide with the previously announced dates in Europe.  For now, Solomon Kane fans can only wait with crossed fingers as events play out in the coming weeks.