Jamie Foxx's 'The Soloist' out of Oscar race

London, Oct 19 : American actor Jamie Foxx's dreams of winning a second Oscar in 2009 were dashed to pieces when the release of his new movie 'The Soloist' was moved to March (09).

Foxx and his co-star Robert Downey Jr. had been tipped as possible Oscar winners for their parts in the true story of a Los Angeles Times journalist who befriends a homeless music prodigy.

The movie was put on hold after Paramount Pictures studio executives decided not to release the film next month (Nov08) as planned.

The reason is because of reported fears it will fail at the box office due to America's economic crisis and competition from other big-name movies.

As a result, the film will now be released on 13 March (09), a month after the Oscars.

"I'd be lying if I said we weren't disappointed, but hopefully, ultimately the movie will benefit from the decision," the Daily Express quoted a spokesman for the film as saying.

The Soloist will still open the upcoming AFI Festival in Hollywood at the end of October (08), according to the Los Angeles Times, but the release date means the film and its stars are no longer eligible for an Academy Awards nomination.

ANI