'Killshot' release pushed back to 2008

The release date of "Killshot," the big-budget movie that brought crews and actors to Cape Girardeau for filming in early 2006, has been pushed back.

Cast and crew working on the film version of the Elmore Leonard novel, being produced by the Weinstein Company, shot several scenes for the movie in Cape Girardeau in January 2006. State officials said the filming pumped $700,000 into the local economy and had an economic impact of more than $2 million statewide.

The movie was originally scheduled to hit theaters Oct. 20, 2006, but the date was pushed back several times, since the film was rumored to have tested poorly in early screenings.

A trailer was posted on Web sites in September 2006.

Now some film sites, like imbd.com, The Internet Movie Database, list the film's release date as 2008, with no date specified.

Since then, there have been reports that scenes shot in Cape Girardeau may be cut out of the movie before it hits the big screen. But Leonard's blog site, elmoreleonard.com, reported in June that director John Madden said Cape Girardeau scenes were still in the movie, but Johnny Knoxville's character has been cut out.

Officials with the Missouri Film Commission say they've heard the film is slated for a spring release, though the information didn't come directly from producers.

-- Matt Sanders