Atlanta-filmed thriller gets earlier release date

“Baby Driver,” filmed in and set in Atlanta, originally was scheduled to hit theaters in August. Following an enthusiastic reception at SXSW, it’s gotten an earlier release date.

You can now plan on seeing the movie, starring Ansel Elgort in the title role as a getaway driver for a crime boss played by Kevin Spacey, on June 28. The news was announced at CinemaCon, a gathering of the National Association of Theatre Owners, going on this week in Las Vegas. CinemaCon also has honored Elgort, who just turned 23, with its “Male Star of Tomorrow” award.

“Having already appeared on the big screen in the breakout teen hit ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ and in the ‘Divergent’ series, Ansel Elgort is poised to break into leading-man status with his upcoming roles in ‘Baby Driver,’ ‘Billionaire Boys Club,’ and ‘November Criminals,’” CinemaCon Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser said in a statement.

“Baby Driver” also stars Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Jon Bernthal.

Star chefs, NFL hero, cigar icon team up for charity

Kevin Rathbun and Linton Hopkins, two of Atlanta’s most prominent chefs, team up for charity this weekend with an NFL great and a member of cigar-industry royalty.

“A Weekend to Remember” benefits Community Concerns Inc., an advocacy group that serves the homeless, and the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which serves poor communities in the Dominican Republic.

The weekend starts with dinner and a cigar lounge at 6:30 p.m. Friday at The Club at Chops, a private club inside Chops Lobster Bar, 70 W. Paces Ferry Road. On Saturday, patrons will enjoy dinner prepared by Rathbun (with a cigar, of course) and wine pairing by sommeliers from Hopkins’ Restaurant Eugene. The cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m., at a private residence. Sunday’s event is a gala dinner with celebrity guest Ottis Jerome “OJ” Anderson, MVP of Super Bowl XXV as a New York Giant, at the Delta Flight Museum, 1060 Delta Blvd. The evening will feature an exclusive presentation by Carlito Fuente Jr., president of the company his grandfather started in 1912 (Arturo Fuente Cigar Co.), when he’d roll cigars in the family’s kitchen and sell them at the back door.

The weekend concludes Monday with the Playing for a Purpose Golf Tournament at the Country Club of the South, 100 Old Alabama Road in Johns Creek, beginning with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and shotgun tee-off at 10 a.m. Event chairs are Gil West, chief operating officer for Delta Air Lines, and his wife, Kim West. Hosts are Fuente, Vice President of Delta Global Services Al Hegner and James Milner, executive director of Community Concerns Inc. Ticket prices vary by event, and a variety of packages are available. See aweekendtoremember.org for details.

PHOTO AJC FILE Ansel Elgort, shown filming a scene for “Baby Driver,” is being honored at CinemaCon this week. The movie, filmed in and set in Atlanta, is now due out in June.