AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Release Date Delayed to Christmas Day

Showbiz411 reports that The Weinstein Company has delayed the release of the big screen adaptation of Tracy Letts' AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY. The film, originally set to hit theaters this October, will now be released on Christmas Day.

According to the report, the studio's decision is a result of the Oscars being pushed back to a March 2, 2014 air date due to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. The new date marks a two weeks delay in scheduling compared to most recent years. This means that studios will want to ensure that "Oscar buzzed" films remain fresh in Academy voters' minds. Many believe the film's stars, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are shoo-ins for Oscar nominations.

The film, directed by John Wells, will see Streep and Roberts playing family matriarch Violet and her eldest daughter, respectively. Riseborough takes on the role of Violet's youngest daughter, Karen. Cooper will play Violet's brother in law. McGregor will portray Bill Fordham, described as "the estranged husband of Barbara (Roberts) and son-in-law of pill-popping matriarch Violet Weston (Streep). A college professor, he left his wife for one of his students but wants to be there for his family. His marriage is disintegrating and his patience is running thin." Julianne Nicholson will play Ivy Weston, one of the sisters to Julia Robert's Barbara. Ivy is Violet's (Streep) middle daughter.

The story follows the Weston family whose lives have been "splintered in many directions until their alcoholic father's disappearance brings them back to their childhood home and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them."

The play, which originally premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, opened on Broadway in December of 2007 and was the recipient of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play.

Click here to watch the film's first official trailer!