Oscar 2015 Prediction: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Film Dated for October; will Not Bow At Cannes

 After months of speculation about whether or not Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's latest film "Birdman" would be ready for Cannes, Fox Searchlight has just announced the release date and also confirmed that it would not be ready for the croisette

According to Deadline the Fox Searchlight co-president Stephen Gilula stated that the the film will open Friday, October 17 but that it won't be able to complete post production until late May or early June. As a result the studio is now eyeing the fall festival circuit.

Gilula told the news soruce, "It's the heart of the fall, and a great time historically for us with films like 'Sideways,' '12 Years A Slave,' and historically 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Black Swan.' We've had great success launching films at festivals, but this hasn't been screened for anyone, despite the speculation. Alejandro is famous for his meticulous work in post-production, and this film is unusual for him in that it has some visual effects, and an unusual sound design. The most important thing is to make sure that the film is right."

The movie is one of the most anticpated of the year and Searchlight's release date points to an Oscar campaign. The four films that Gilula mentions were all nominated for Best Picture and two won the top prize. Additionally October has become a great month to launch Oscar winners. "The Departed," "Argo" and "12 Years a Slave" were among the films that launched during this time period and went on to win Best Picture. Additionally it is likely the film will be screened at the Toronto Film Festival and possibly Telluride and Venice. The release date would coincide with these festivals and would help build buzz and position the film for precursors.

Additionally Inarritu is no stranger to awards season. His first film "Amores Perros" was nominated for Best Foreign Film and later his 2003 film "21 Grams" garnered Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro acting nods. In 2006 "Babel" was nominated of Best Picture among other awards and in 2010 his movie "Biutiful" garnered two Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Foreign Film. "Birdman" marks Inarritu's first black comedy which was made with New Regency and Worldview Entertainment and the fact that he is taking on new territory and experimenting could be important for his Academy Award bid.

Throughout the past few years the Academy has nominated edgy films that play with formula and that also showcase a director trying to experiment with the medium. These films have included "The Tree of Life," "Gravity," and "Black Swan."

"Birdman" stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts. The film follows a washed up actor who once played an iconic superhero who tries to mount a stage play despite his dysfunction and the dysfunction of others in his repertoire. Inarritu wrote the film with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo, and he produced with John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W. Skotchdopole. Worldview's Christopher Woodrow, Molly Conners and Sarah E. Johnson are exec producers.