Scott Cooper's bloody Western finally lands a distributor a month after wowing critics at the Telluride Film Festival. It’s official: Christian Bale is set to shake up the Oscar race for Best Actor.

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios has acquired the distribution rights to Christian Bale’s gritty Western “Hostiles,” which is directed by Scott Cooper and had its premiere at Telluride and Toronto.

Having galvanized Berlin with George Clooney’s “Suburbicon,” Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom will sell international rights to one of the biggest upcoming productions at this year’s Cannes: Christian ...