Despite the recent announcement of the release date for the Ed Zwick and Leonardo DiCaprio starring drama/thriller THE BLOOD DIAMOND being January 12th, 2007, The LA Times is reporting that Warner Bros. has decided to bump up the film to a December 15th, 2006 release. It seems the studio has some confidence in the film and wants to both capitalize on the lucrative Christmas season and position it for prime Oscar consideration - likely the usual battery of Oscar nods of best actor, supporting actor, director, cinematography, screenplay, a few techincal awards and best film.

In it, DiCaprio stars as a South African smuggler who along with Dijmon Hounsous farmer character and a mickle of ruthless business pursue the titular priceless diamond across the globe.