Universal Pictures is officially Ambulance movie release date two months from February 18 to April 8, 2022. Based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name, the action thriller centers on war veteran William Sharp as he reaches out to his adoptive criminal brother Danny for help to get $231,000 to pay for his wife's surgery. The two head out for a $32 million bank heist, though when things go wrong and a Los Angeles Police officer is shot, they hijack an ambulance with an EMT and the dying officer as their hostages and race to find a way to escape the law.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II lead the ensemble cast of Ambulance alongside Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, A Martinez, Keir O'Donnell, Moses Ingram and Wale Folarin. Development on the English-language remake first kicked off in 2015 with Salt director Phillip Noyce attached to helm, though it would go through a variety of different directors, including Gunpowder Milkshake's Navot Papushado and frequent collaborator Aharon Keshales, before Bay would finally sign on in 2020. Production would kick off on Ambulance in Los Angeles in early 2021 and though it was planned to hit theaters within a year, it appears plans are changing at the studio.
As the new year draws closer, Universal Pictures has elected to delay Michael Bay's Ambulance release date to April 8, 2022. The film was originally set to hit theaters on February 18, where it was pitting itself against Sony's Tom Holland-starring Uncharted movie adaptation and Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel. at the time of writing, no specific reason from the studio was given for the shift in Ambulance's release date.
The news of Ambulance's release date delay comes as a number of studios have shifted multiple tentpole projects around, namely Fast and Furious 10 by a month in 2023. More interestingly is that though Ambulance has been delayed by two months, it now takes the spot of Sony's Brad Pitt-led adaptation of Bullet Train, a similar ensemble action thriller that has been pushed to the summer. Though said film may no longer be in the spot, Michael Bay's remake won't be without competition as it will now face off against Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at the box office, whose recently released trailer has sparked higher anticipation in both older and younger audiences.
Both Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Ambulance will also have some competition the following week with the release of Warner Bros.' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. However, given the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter prequel over the recasting of Johnny Depp with Mads Mikkelsen for Gellert Grindelwald and criticisms of J.K. Rowling's apparent transphobic comments, the film may not prove as big of a draw as the video game sequel and Bay's remake. Only time will tell when Ambulance hits theaters on April 8.
