Warner Bros. to re-release Martin Scorsese’s 'The Departed'

By M&C Movie News Jan 24, 2007, 3:01 GMT

A remake of the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs." Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese\'s new crime drama "The Departed." "The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police is waging war on organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob run by gangland chief Costello (Nicholson). While Billy is quickly gaining Costello\'s confidence, Colin Sullivan ...more

BURBANK, CA - Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures announced January 23, Warner Bros. is planning to re-release the award-winning crime drama 'The Departed' on Friday, January 26, 2006, in more than 1,300 theatres nationwide.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, 'The Departed' originally opened domestically on October 6, 2006, taking the top spot at the box office in its first two weeks in release and receiving widespread critical acclaim. The film went on to earn $121 million at the domestic box office, making it Scorsese’s top-grossing film of all time. In addition, 'The Departed' has brought in an estimated $125 million internationally.

Lauded by both critics and audiences, 'The Departed' has had a strong presence during this year’s awards season. This morning it was honored with five Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Director (Scorsese), Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg) and Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker).

The film recently won the Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. Martin Scorsese also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Director and received his seventh Directors Guild of America Award nomination for his work on 'The Departed.'

Additionally, many of the nation’s top critics have included the film on their year-end ten-best lists, and a number of critics groups have recognized “The Departed” with awards, including the New York, Chicago, and Boston Film Critics and the National Board of Review, among others.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We congratulate Martin Scorsese, as well as the producers, cast, and everyone who worked on ‘The Departed’ for all of the honors the film has already received. With awards season rekindling interest in the film, we thought it was the perfect time to put ‘The Departed’ back in theatres for moviegoers who hadn’t seen it, as well as for those who want to watch it again. Additionally, we want to make the film as accessible as possible to Academy members across the country so they have every opportunity to see it on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen.”

“The Departed” is set in South Boston where the Massachusetts State Police Department is waging an all-out war to take down the city’s top organized crime ring, run by powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob run by Costello. While Billy is working to gain Costello’s trust, another young cop, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), is quickly rising through the ranks of the state police.

Earning a spot in the Special Investigations Unit, Colin is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don’t know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crime boss one step ahead of the police.

Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught — and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Plan B / Initial Entertainment Group / Vertigo Entertainment Production, in association with Media Asia Films, a Martin Scorsese Picture, “The Departed,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin.

The film was directed by Martin Scorsese, from a screenplay by William Monahan. Brad Pitt, Brad Grey and Graham King produced “The Departed,” with Roy Lee, Doug Davison, G. Mac Brown, Kristin Hahn and Gianni Nunnari serving as executive producers, and Joseph Reidy co-producing. Collaborating with Scorsese behind the scenes were director of photography Michael Ballhaus, production designer Kristi Zea, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and costume designer Sandy Powell. The score is by Howard Shore.

“The Departed” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated “R” by the MPAA for “strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material.”