Janelle Monae's 'Antebellum' skipping U.S. theaters for VOD

Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Horror film Antebellum, starring Janelle Monae, will be skipping a U.S. theatrical release and will instead be distributed through streaming services on Sept. 18.

The move comes as theaters in the United States remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was originally set to hit theaters on Aug. 21.

Antebellum will be available to stream through video-on-demand services for $19.99. Studio Lionsgate will release the film in select theaters internationally.

Antebellum, written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, follows Monae as successful author Veronica, who is captured and sent back in time to the American south before the Civil War. Veronica is enslaved and fights to return home.

Marque Richardson, Eric Lange, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa and Gabourey Sidibe also star.

"While we designed Antebellum to be consumed as a communal experience in the theater, we are thrilled by the unique opportunity we have to pivot to a different kind of communal moment in our culture," Bush and Renz said in a statement.

"As we face the realities of systemic racism in our country, which have crescendoed to this current inflection point in 2020, we understand how imperative it is to bring Antebellum to the broadest audience possible, while also prioritizing health and safety. It is our ardent hope that by sharing our film widely, both nationally and internationally, we will transform the moviegoing experience from home into a true event."