The studio announced that release date today, and its early awards-season position indicates that Warner Bros. is confident in a product that should prove exceedingly difficult to market.  It may be based on an existing novel, but Cloud Atlas hardly has the big-time recognition of The Hunger Games or Twilight.  Nor can it be easily summarized in a trailer or TV spot. 

Mitchell's novel is comprised of six different stories, the first of which takes place in the Nineteenth Century and the last of which is set in a distant future, post-civilization version of Hawaii ("Ha-Why").  Each story is radically different in content, tone, and even style, from the contemporary comedy of "The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish" to the dystopian corporate future of "An Orison of Somni-451."  The unconventional structure – with five of the stories divided in half around the sixth in the center of the novel, Russian nesting-doll-style – presents all manner of challenges in making a coherent, satisfying movie.

Some of the stories were directed by the Wachowski siblings, known principally for the Matrix trilogy and Speed Racer, while Tykwer, the director of Run, Lola, Run and Perfume: Story of a Murderer handled others.  Most of the ensemble cast founds themselves playing multiple parts in each of the different segments, meaning we'll be seieng different performances from the likes of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Keith David, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Doona Bae, Hugo Weaving, James D'Arcy, and Susan Sarandon.

The film screened for some select audiences at last month's Cannes Film Festival, and to say that I'm curious about it would be a dramatic understatement.  Even if Cloud Atlas doesn't do justice to its duly-loved source material, the ambitiousness in even attempting an adaptation is pretty remarkable.

Anyways, here's the full press release announcing the October release date, complete with comments from Warner Bros.' presidents of domestic and international distribution:

BURBANK, CA, June 19, 2012 – Warner Bros. Pictures has officially slated the sci-fi epic Cloud Atlas from acclaimed filmmakers Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski, for domestic release on October 26, 2012. In addition, the Studio has acquired rights for the film in the major markets of the UK, France, Spain, Australia, and Japan, with plans to release it in those territories in early 2013. The joint announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Fellman stated, “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. An October release in North America is the perfect window to showcase this epic film.”

Kwan Vandenberg said, “We are proud to be distributing this remarkable motion picture in a number of key markets. We look forward to working with these visionary filmmakers and the other international distribution partners to bring ‘Cloud Atlas’ to moviegoers around the world.”

Academy Award winners Tom Hanks ( Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) and Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) lead a stellar international cast that includes Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Iris), Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun and Keith David, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) and Hugh Grant. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the stories move through time.

Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

The film is written for the screen and directed by Lana Wachowski & Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski. The Wachowskis previously teamed as writers/directors of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, which earned more than $1.6 billion, combined, at the worldwide box office. Tom 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 award-winning thriller Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Based on the celebrated best-selling novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas is produced by two-time Oscar nominee Grant Hill (The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life), three-time BAFTA Award nominee Stefan Arndt (The White Ribbon, Goodbye Lenin!, Run Lola Run), Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski. Philip Lee, Uwe Schott and Wilson Qiu serve as executive producers, with Peter Lam, Tony Teo and Alexander van Duelmen co-producing, and Gigi Oeri as associate producer.

Cloud Atlas will be released in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland by X-Filme-Verleih; in China by Dreams of the Dragon Pictures; in Hong Kong by Media Asia Group; in Singapore and Malaysia by Ascension Pictures; in Korea by Bloomage Company; in Taiwan by Long Shong Group; in Russia and Eastern Europe by A Company; and in other territories through Focus Features International.

So.  See you there on October 26th, right?  Does this mean we'll be seeing a trailer soon?