By George Robbins
Not too long ago, the decision for studios to forego theatrical releases started becoming more prevalent as the pandemic remains an issue for the world. Either this, or they’ve chosen to continue delaying their films until they know the climate for releases is better than it currently is. Most studios have actually opted for the latter choice of simply waiting things out since they had far reaching release dates already. The ones that have really seen the biggest affect are the studios that have continually pushed movies that they have been marketing for awhile now and have had to keep their dates moving back. One of the most famous ones as of late has been ‘Tenet’ which has actually not had to forego its release but instead it will release overseas first.
The movie ‘Tenet‘ releasing overseas first is something we thought we would never see, but because of the pandemic it isn’t all that surprising. Domestically, the movie has been put on an indefinite hold where we aren’t quite sure when it will show in theaters because the pandemic is not being handled well enough that they feel comfortable releasing the film. So now the unprecedented release of the film abroad before a domestic release is happening. On the not as dramatic side of things, Disney will be putting their newest live-action re-work of a classic, ‘Mulan,’ straight on Disney+, their premium streaming service. To make up for it not showing in theaters, they will charge a fee for people to own it digitally through the service.
Although they plan on launching the film straight to digital domestically, they are still going to have a theatrical release in China, according to a new poster. This makes sense given the fact that China will also be getting ‘Tenet’ because they have a better handle on the situation with the virus. As such, Disney will be able to make some of that theatrical release money that they were hoping to get here in The States. It just goes to show that we are far off from being able to have the freedom we really want and studios are adapting to this the best way they can right now. Maybe if things go well in the coming months, they will be able to premiere films here theatrically without much worry.
By George Robbins
There are a lot of different films that have unfortunately been forced to have their release dates pushed back due to issues caused by the pandemic. Many films now have theatrical releases either for later this year, or some time next year. These films have had no choice but to do this and now there are films that are going to be releasing straight to digital because there is no merit to waiting for a theatrical release window. This is how Universal have been releasing a majority of their films these past few months. They have only pushed the release dates for a few different films thus far and it doesn’t seem like they are going to stop with these release plans any time soon.
A number of different films have even pushed back their release dates multiple times to the point where new plans have had to be drawn up. Christopher Nolan’s newest movie ‘Tenet’ currently doesn’t have a release date for a domestic theatrical release and it will instead show in about 70 other countries that have a better handle on the virus. Another film that was forced to be pushed back was Disney’s new live-action adaptation of ‘Mulan’ which has now been delayed since March and was supposed to release near the end of August. Disney have recently decided that the best course of action moving forward is for them to just release this new movie straight to Disney+ because there is no reason at this point to delay the film anymore. They will charge a fee for people to buy the movie from the streaming service in order to make up for the money they will lose because there is no theatrical release.
Now it seems that there is a bit of good news in regards to the movie ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music‘ as it will be releasing sooner than anticipated. The ‘Bill & Ted’ movies have gained something of a cult following since their original release and their is a dedicated fanbase that have been looking forward to the release of this movie. It was meant to be just like any other film where it would have a theatrical release and then some time later it would release on digital. Due to the pandemic, they will be releasing the film in both select theaters and straight to digital so that those people that can’t go out to see it will be given the opportunity to do so. The movie was originally supposed to premiere on August 21st which was then pushed to September 1st, and now it seems people will get the chance to see the movie a bit sooner when it releases on August 28th.
By George Robbins
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, is a franchise that is known all over the world and it has easily become one of the biggest film franchises ever. The wild success of the MCU films is something that many other studios are trying to emulate by creating their own shared universes. These shared universes either succeed or fail pretty badly before they can even get their feet under them and this has resulted in few cinematic universes existing outside of the MCU. It will also be difficult for any universes in the future to even start up now as those that try to start are often met with skepticism because people think they are just copying the MCU. That being said, the opportunity is still there and studios still have a chance to make something great.
Not every single film in the MCU has been great, but due to character revamps, every character in the MCU has been treated pretty well. Even the worst of the MCU films were completely terrible, though they have been met with plenty of criticism. These are made up for by people making new films that well overdo what the previous film did. Examples for these include ‘Iron Man 3’ and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ which were not really liked much by fans, especially the latter. They would then go on to be out shined by their follow-ups, namely ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Thor: Ragnarok.’ These are just some of the incredible films to come out afterwards and they are very much loved.
Other than the older heroes getting the sequels they deserved, new characters ended up with the movies they deserved. Within the past few years leading up to the end of the Infinity Saga, we were given introduction movies for ‘Doctor Strange,’ a new story for Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ and a pretty good introduction movie for ‘Captain Marvel.’ For the last of those films, we ended up with a movie that did a pretty good job of showing us that even characters that seem overpowered by some standards can be given pretty good movies. The movie was pretty much considered to be a success after its release and even though it came out between the last two Avengers movies in the saga, it did move the story along. Thus, it is now a certainty that we will get to see yet another Captain Marvel film.
Recently, it was announced that director Nia DaCosta will be taking the helm to be the director for the upcoming sequel in the MCU. For those unaware, DaCosta was also the director for the movie ‘Candyman‘ which is a spiritual successor to the original movie of the same name. The movie has had to be moved and instead of releasing over the summer, it will release in October of this year if all goes as planned. ‘Captain Marvel’ directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden have already voiced their support that they believe DaCosta will make a great director for the upcoming sequel. Hopefully, we will soon get to see progress on the continuation of the story of Carol Danvers’ story some time in the not too distant future.
By George Robbins
Disney has taken a lot of different stories over the years, including some pretty dark toned ones, and turned them into beloved children’s films that still hold up today. Often times, those films are adapted from stories that are not really made for children, but the Disney adaptations did a good job to make them watchable. They are films that have taught children of multiple generations at this point how they can be better people and what not to do in their lives. While these lessons often go over the heads of many, they are still there and Disney films, especially the animated ones, hold a large amount of nostalgia for most adults alive today. No matter what movie it just so happens to be, someone will have liked it for some reason or another.
One of those movies that kept its darker tones was the movie ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘ which is based on the novel of the same name. It is one of their films that isn’t necessarily recognized by many as one of their films at first due to the dark themes found all throughout the film. The movie is a shock to all those who see it because it is not what one would expect from an animated Disney film. Despite the shocking themes and content that are found scattered throughout the film, the film still maintained a G rating by the MPAA. No one really expected what they got when they first went to go see the movie.
For those unaware, the movie tells the story of the titular ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ a man named Quasimodo by his master Judge Claude Frollo. Frollo was responsible for the death of his mother who was a Romani gypsy who was trying to save her son’s life and, as penance, cares for him as if he was his own. Quasimodo falls in love with a gypsy named Esmeralda who later falls for the captain of the city guard. In the meantime, Frollo tries going after her himself as he is lusting for her which is definitely not what people would have expected from a Disney film. Everything comes to a head when Quasimodo triumphantly stops Frollo once and for all and he is then accepted by everyone despite his deformities.
The voice-acting work seen throughout the film is stupendous and cemented the characters as they are. Now, like many other classic Disney animated films, there are talks of a live-action version of the film coming to fruition in the future. Josh Gad has signed on to be the producer of the new film and he may even star in the film as well. While the original film may have had mixed success upon its initial release, it has since been well remembered by fans of both Disney and the movie itself. The performances are something that cannot really be forgotten by those who watched the movie and we can’t really see anyone else playing those characters.
That being said, there is a chance that we could have ended up with an entirely different voice actor who could have played the titular character. Quasimodo was voiced by Tom Hulce who portrayed the character as he was meant to be as a young man who just wants to be accepted by the public. However, it seems that actor Mandy Patinkin, who is most well known for his work in theater and his portrayal of character Inigo Montoya in ‘The Princess Bride,’ almost played the character. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise recently revealed that he would have been Quasimodo if not for a disastrous audition to play the character. According to them, he brought his own piano accompanist to the audition because he had rearranged the song that composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz had written and eventually walked out of the verbal audition.
By George Robbins
The story of Pinocchio is a classic one that many people the world over have heard of and know the story of. Originally, he is the main and titular character of ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio‘ which was a children’s novel written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi. They follow Pinocchio as he goes on his journey of discovery and tries his best to become a real boy instead of remaining as a puppet. One of his most distinguishing features as a character is his constant lying and the fact that when he does lie, his nose grows in size. This characteristic is one that is carried through all forms of media that depict the character, but there is still much that is not adapted as well.
Pinocchio’s story begins when a woodcarver Geppetto makes him in his workshop and he is then miraculously granted life. This ends up making Geppetto the ‘father’ of Pinocchio and he cares for him like he was his own son. In the original novel, he carved him from a block of talking wood given to him by a carpenter. Even before he was finished being sculpted, Pinocchio had a penchant for causing trouble, even kicking Geppetto as his feet were being made. He was then indirectly responsible for causing Geppetto much trouble and getting him locked away in jail for a short period of time. Nonetheless, Geppetto continued to care for him and did everything he could to care for the young puppet.
It is through Geppetto’s interactions with Pinocchio that the young puppet finally found his way in the world and started becoming a better person. In the end of the novel, Pinocchio cares for Geppetto while he is ailing after they both escape near death and his eventual reward for becoming a good person is that he becomes a real boy. In the Disney adaptation, called ‘Pinocchio,’ that everyone knows and loves, Geppetto makes Pinocchio in his shop and wishes upon a falling star that his puppet will be given life. Geppetto then sends him to school and when Pinocchio goes missing, he goes searching for him and is then swallowed by the giant whale, Monstro. After the encounter with Monstro, Pinocchio falls limp with no life remaining. In return for his bravery for saving his ‘father’s’ life, he is revived by the Blue Fairy who also makes him a real boy.
As of late, Disney has been making live-action adaptations of all of their old animated films and this seems to be a trend that will not end until all of them are remade. As of now, it seems that the next film that will end up being made, or in this case remade, will be ‘Pinocchio’ which will be worked on in the near future. We are not quite sure what the casting choices will be like for this upcoming adaptation of the beloved Disney classic, but we may know at least one casting choice. It seems that Tom Hanks is in very early talks to possibly play the role of Geppetto in the upcoming live-action film. Hopefully this ends up being the case, because he definitely seems to be an actor that could fit well into the role given to him.
By George Robbins
The DC Extended Universe is one that has managed to cement itself since it first came about when ‘Man of Steel‘ released in 2013. It has since become host to a number of different films that all share the same universe. This was Warner Bros. response to the existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, since they wanted to do something similar with the hero properties that they had the rights to. The creation of the DCEU is one that is met with relatively mixed reception as, according to fans, it seems like there is a lot of studio interference with the films. The films that have had the least interference are often recognized immediately by some because they are the ones that have done the best. There are not really a lot of films in the DCEU currently, but it is still a universe that has managed to keep itself relevant.
One of the most unfortunate cases of studio interference was involved in the creation of the ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. As of late, director David Ayer has taken to social media in an attempt to get fans to convince Warner Bros. to let him put together a director’s cut of his ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. This was done after it seemed like fans petitioning the studio allowed Zack Snyder to put out his own version of the ‘Justice League’ movie. Snyder was only forced to leave that project originally when tragedy struck his family and Joss Whedon was chosen by the studio to replace him as director. It was at this point that they decided to do reshoots for film and this is why Snyder is now going to be getting his version of the film put out there.
Now that this announcement was made public a couple of months back, Ayer is trying his best to get his cut of ‘Suicide Squad’ out in the world. He even went so far as to say that he has everything he needs and only some VFX is left and it will be completed and ready for distribution. As we have since found out, Warner Bros. was trying to copy the success of the recently released ‘Deadpool‘ at the time. For this reason, they had Ayer do reshoots to try and make the movie a bit more light-hearted, but all this did was muddle the tone of the movie and ruin any kind of set-up that the director had prepared for the film. In Ayer’s version, the movie is much darker in tone and is more serious with a lot more character development and backstory.
Even though we are unsure if we will ever get a director’s cut for ‘Suicide Squad,’ we do know that we will be getting a new movie titled ‘The Suicide Squad.’ As a joke, director James Gunn proposed that the studio go with this title rather than any kind of numbered title since it is supposed to be a soft reboot for the characters. In a somewhat surprising twist, they actually went with the title so now we will be getting ‘The Suicide Squad’ some time next year. According to Gunn, a first-look teaser will be dropping some time later this month. This will give us a pretty good idea as to what kind of movie it will end up being, so fingers crossed it is something better than the last one.
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