Alexander Payne's new film The Descendants gets a release date!

From Collider:

For those who like to plan in far in advance, we have some release date news for you this morning. First up, Fox Searchlight has set Alexander Payne’s The Descendants for December 16th. The film stars George Clooney as a wealthy landowner who tries to re-connect with his daughters. While the release date puts it in prime position for awards season, it will have to contend with three blockbusters getting released the same day: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Presumably, Searchlight is going to start out with a limited release and then expand the film since releasing it wide as counter-programming would be incredibly risky. I’m also going to assume that The Descendants will make the rounds at various fall film festivals because if you make a modestly-budgeted film starring George Clooney, federal law requires that you show it at Toronto and/or Telluride.

-Joey's Two Cents: I have high hopes for this as an Oscar player, so it's good to see that it's an official 2011 release...thoughts?