Damon's 'Adjustment Bureau' Gets "Adjusted" Again

It's easiest to blame Universal. The studio, which has a potential hit in Despicable Me arriving in theaters tomorrow, has been allergic to success over the past couple of years. We've documented it, as has everyone else who writes about the business of movies. So when you see more Universal movies getting shifted around, the natural reaction is to think the cousins of the company responsible for the Leno-O'Brien late night fiasco screwed something else up. Again. But when one of the films on the move is The Adjustment Bureau and it's a first-time director taking aim at a Philip K. Dick novel, one of two things seems likely, especially for a studio that's down on its luck: 1) If it's a good movie, Universal would release it as soon as possible and force-feed it to us, or 2) It's bad and da U is trying desperately to bury it somewhere. The trailers are unconvincing, and I have to say Matt Damon doesn't even look terribly invested in what's going on. I like George Nolfi as a writer, but directing, especially something as layered and esoteric as Philip K. Dick, is a different thing altogether. Maybe he pulled it off or maybe Universal thinks it needs more time in the editing room. It's certainly got that luxury now.The movie that was scheduled for late July then late September is now opening (or scheduled to open) on March 4th, 51 weeks after Universal and Damon saw Green Zone open flat and lose money. It's a little unfair to pick on Adjustment Bureau, because it's only one of many rescheduled Universal movies. It is, however, the most noteworthy film on the move, and you can see the full list at MovieWeb. But here are a few other highlights, if you can call them that: The Dark Fields with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, is opening on January 21st. The James Cameron-produced Sanctum hits on February 4th, and Paul, with Jason Bateman, Seth Rogen, Simon Pegg, and Bill Hader, opens on March 18th. Also, perhaps due to the savaging M. Night Shyamalan has taken in the past week, Universal has dropped his name from The Night Chronicles: Devil, which opens on September 17th. That's now simply called Devil. At least it's still opening.