'Cloud Atlas' gets October release date

BURBANK, Calif., June 22 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. Pictures says it has set an Oct. 26 opening date for "Cloud Atlas," starring Halle Berry and Tom Hanks, in North America.

The studio plans to release the big-screen adaptation of David Mitchell's novel in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia and Japan in early 2013.

The release dates were announced Thursday by Dan Fellman, the studio's president of domestic distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of international distribution.

"Audiences who have seen an early screening of 'Cloud Atlas' have been elated by its powerful and inspiring story, as well as its breathtaking visuals," Fellman said in a statement.

"Cloud Atlas" explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives affect one another throughout the past, the present and the future, a synopsis said.

The film co-stars Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant and features each actor in multiple roles as the stories move through time.

The movie was written for the screen and directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski. The Wachowskis previously teamed as writers/directors of the blockbuster "Matrix" trilogy, which earned more than $1.6 billion, combined, at the worldwide box office.

Tykwer won an Independent Spirit Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination as the director/writer of "Run Lola Run" and more recently directed the thriller "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer."