March 17, 2016 - 11:25 AMT
Colin Farrell-Rachel Weisz dark comedy “The Lobster” release date set

A24 has set a May 13 release date for the Colin Farrell-Rachel Weisz dark comedy “The Lobster”, a year after it won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety reports.

Troubled indie distributor Alchemy had bought the movie at Cannes but was hit by a cash shortfall earlier this year and ditched a March 11 release date, resulting in A24 picking up the domestic rights.

Variety critic Guy Lodge called the film “wickedly funny” in his Cannes review.

The film marks the English-language debut of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who received critical acclaim for “Dogtooth.” “The Lobster,” which also stars Lea Seydoux, John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw and Olivia Colman, is set in a dystopian near future where single people are arrested and transformed into animals of their choosing if they fail to find a mate within 45 days.

Farrell plays a single man who checks into a hotel to find a mate, then joins a rebel group and falls in love with Weisz’s character. “The Lobster” was shot in Ireland in the spring of 2014 with Lanthimos directing from a script he co-wrote with Efthimis Filippou.

A24 also released a trailer for the film with Farrell explaining that his dog is actually his brother who was unable to find love. The trailer reveals the source of the title, as Farrell is asked what kind of animal he’d like be and replies, “A lobster.”

“An excellent choice,” he’s told.

Photo: Cannes Film Festival