Universal Pictures is moving the release date of the film version of Mark Millar and J. P. Jones' comic book series Wanted from March 28th to June 27th.  The new date puts Wanted right in between the debut of The Incredible Hulk on June 13th and Hellboy 2 on July 11th (The Dark Knight premiers on July 18th).  The summer of 2008 is certainly shaping up as the most competitive battleground of comic-based films in Hollywood history.

 

Wanted, which is published by Top Cow, is certainly premiering in the midst of some very fast company, but Universal's head of distribution Nikki Rocco thinks the Timur Bekmambetov-directed film, which stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, will be able to hold its own: 'After an early look at Wanted, we are certain that it fulfills its promise as a stunning, committed, thrilling, eye-popping vision that introduces a bold new narrative. We believe it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the event titles of the summer and will give audiences a chance to discover a fresh new alternative. We are excited to date the film on June 27.'