Folks in America’s media capitals will get an early look at Scott Cooper‘s awards-season drama, Deadline said.

Relativity said that Out Of The Furnace will open December 4 in limited release in Los Angeles and New York, two days before it goes out wide.

The film, which had its world premiere November 9 at the AFI Fest and won an award at Rome last week, stars Christian Bale as a Rust Belt ex-con out for justice when his brother is drawn into a ruthless crime gang.

It’s Cooper’s follow-up to his first feature, 2009′s Crazy Heart.

He and Brad Ingelsby wrote the pic, which also stars Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana and Sam Shepard.