Good news for us Scorsese fans: in a move that is thankfully opposite to what was done with his last film, Shutter Island, Deadline tells us that his next film, Hugo Cabret, is being moved up from its original date of December 9th to that all-important Thanksgiving opening of November 23rd. This move comes at a cost; not to us, but to Sony Pictures, who transferred the distribution of the picture to Paramount, as they couldn’t grant it the new opening that funder GK Films wanted.

One of the big factors in this change is the close relationship Paramount head Brad Grey has with the director and Graham King, the latter being the head of GK Films. In addition to the aforementioned fact that Sony couldn’t provide the Thanksgiving date, Paramount wanted one themselves, so that all came together for this to happen. And “this” is a great thing, as getting a new Scorsese film – that being enough of a treat in itself – even just a little over two weeks earlier than anticipated is a wonderful thing.

Based on Brain Selznick‘s acclaimed children’s book, the film stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Richard Griffiths, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone, and Michael Stuhlbarg. While not my most anticipated film of 2011, the mere director credit on it makes me pretty excited for it. Along with his ambitious plans for shooting in 3D, I really just want to see everything and anything he does, so my excitement for this is pretty significant.

Here’s a synopsis of the book, courtesy of Amazon:

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Hugo Cabret now opens on November 23rd.

What do you think of this news? Are you excited for Hugo Cabret, and are you happy to be getting it a few weeks earlier?