At least 15 major critics and a few feature writers who’ve posted articles and reviews about Tim Blake Nelson‘s Leaves of Grass, a rowdy pot-dealing dramedy about twin brothers (both played by Ed Norton) with radically different attitudes, were surprised to learn today that First Look, the film’s distributor, has pulled the plug on a previously confirmed opening this Friday in New York and Dallas.

I’m told by 42West that “a buyer has stepped in and bought the film” with plans to give it a full-on release “sometime this summer.” A press release about this sudden turn of events will be released Thursday, the spokesperson said.

It’s still way curious for such a move to happen within days (hours almost) of a limited release.

Mark Olsen‘s 3.28 L.A. Times story about the film said it “opens Friday in New York City and Dallas with additional dates to follow,” but earlier today the regional 4.2 opening was removed from the film’s IMDB release-date page, and Box-Office Mojo changed its release status from 4.2.10 to “TBD.” Coming Soon also pulled it from its release schedule.

Amazon has the Leaves of Grass DVD/Bluray set for a 7.20.10 release. That’s obviously out the window with the new summer-release plan.

Here’s what I wrote about Leaves of Grass during last September’s Toronto Film Festival, Here’s Marshall Fine‘s review, and David Denby’s in The New Yorker.