OPEN Road Films has set a new release date of May 13, 2016 for Oliver Stone’s “Snowden.”

    The biopic stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, while Shailene Woodley plays Snowden’s girlfriend, Lindsay Mills. The film was originally set to open Dec. 25, 2015, in time for this year’s awards race. The Hollywood Reporter first reported it was being pushed back to next year.

    A berth in mid-May is a high-profile date, since that’s the beginning of the summer box office. It’s also around the time of the Cannes Film Festival, a favorite destination for Stone.

    Stone directed “Snowden” from a script he wrote with Kieran Fitzgerald. “Snowden” has been eagerly anticipated given that it is the first narrative feature to tackle the polarizing figure considered a hero by some and a traitor by others. The Snowden documentary “Citizenfour” won this year’s best documentary Oscar.(SD-Agencies)