By George Robbins
With the movie industry the way it is right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is always nice to find out that things are still moving forward. The movie industry found itself grinding to a halt after everything from theaters to productions were shut down to help prevent spread of the virus. Despite all of this, we still ended up getting news about new projects that are being worked on or will be worked on when people could get back to work. Many movies were supposed to begin production around the time the pandemic began, but had to postpone until a later date. Others haven’t even started production yet and now is the perfect time for plans to be made concerning how studios will move forward from here with filming.
Within the last few years, there has been a resurgence in remakes of films being made and now we will be getting a ‘Pinocchio’ remake. Though it seems this new film will be much darker than the original film which isn’t all that surprising given it is being directed by Guillermo del Toro. The new movie will be a stop-motion animated film that still maintains the musical aspect of the story, but tells a much darker fantastical tale. Guillermo del Toro is known for creating worlds in his movies that have dark tones to them with one of the most prominent being ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ He intends to make the film more reminiscent of the 2002 adaptation of the original 1883 novel ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio.’
At a time where film productions, if they are even allowed to start, are difficult to maneuver, it would be very hard for a movie to still be worked on properly. With an animated film, it becomes much more likely that the film can be worked on even if not in the proper setting. Not having actors involved in any live action scenes makes the production of the movie simpler since they won’t have to worry about the distancing rules or anything like that. With this being the case, talented actors must still lend their voices to create characters that fit into the world of the movie. One of the most memorable characters in the history of this story is Jiminy Cricket and if you want a memorable performance for the character, who better than Ewan McGregor.
McGregor was recently seen in ‘Birds of Prey’ as villain Black Mask and is most notably remembered as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. It was revealed by the voice of Gepetto, David Bradley, that McGregor was cast early this year to play an unspecified role. Now we are aware that the role he will be playing is the one of the iconic character and the guide for Pinocchio’s journey, Jiminy Cricket. As of now, the film still has a 2021 release, so perhaps the fact it is an animated film will make it possible to finish working on it for a timely release. This way, we will be able to listen to McGregor’s performance and see if he can truly create a memorable version of the character.
By George Robbins
The ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise is one that has cemented its place in history as one of those action film series that people will always love. This hasn’t really changed over time and it has only managed to increase its fan base as time seems to go on. Unlike other action films at the time, the ‘Indiana Jones’ films harked back to older movies about exploration and treasure hunting. Putting a lot of effort into the creation of the movies was something director Steven Spielberg made note of, but it wasn’t just because of him that the movies were successful. The plots for the films, more often the first three films, are pretty strong and tell stories that are very interesting.
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark‘ kicked everything off by giving us a unique story that takes place in the early part of the 20th century. The following films continued to build on top of the story of the main character and each had their own story to tell. Every movie was unique and provided us with some fantastical end to the hero’s journey while giving us an incredible journey to follow. Although the most recent entry into the franchise, ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,’ wasn’t well received by the fan base, it let people know that there were still people willing to work on the franchise. This led to the confirmation not too long ago that there would, in fact, be a fifth entry in the ‘Indiana Jones’ series of films.
The current title of the film is simply ‘Indiana Jones 5’ due to the fact that it was only just recently announced that they would start filming and the movie is not even close to the start of production. It may also take some more time before they have a working script in order now that writer David Koepp has left the project making it more difficult for the film to come any closer to starting. When Koepp left the project he said that now that James Mangold is directing the film, he wants to give him the chance to pen his own story or have someone he knows write it up with him. There have been many issues with the start of production thus far and this just seems like another issue that must be dealt with.
The initial announcement, which revealed the fact that the fifth movie would even end up being made to begin with, was made back in 2016. Following that, the theatrical release date for the film kept getting delayed due to things like Spielberg leaving the project and most recently the coronavirus pandemic. Filming was meant to start in April, but the pandemic pushed to back to the point where they aren’t sure when they are going to restart the film. The release date was originally set for some time in 2019, then it change to 2020, 2021, and following the onset of the outbreak, 2022. At this point, it is almost entirely unknown just when the film will manage to get back into production or even what year it will end up releasing in.
By George Robbins
The Star Wars franchise is one that now spans entire generations and has a fan base many franchises wish they could have in terms of size and loyalty to the brand. There are countless ways that Lucasfilms keeps their fans on the line to keep them interested in their next project. Not only does Lucasfilms do what they can to keep fans in the bleachers, but fans themselves find ways to keep themselves immersed in the community. Unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic makes it just a bit more difficult for the community to band together and get excited for all things Star Wars. Usually there are conventions that get fans the world over to come and spend time with one another while awaiting new information for the franchise they love.
This is something that will not get to happen this year unfortunately since, just like other conventions like Comic Con, the annual Star Wars Celebration convention was canceled. This isn’t really too much of a surprise to anyone since the virus is starting to make a comeback now. Lucasfilms decided that it would be far too dangerous even with restrictions for them to host the annual convention. This isn’t even the first convention that was Star Wars related to be canceled this year. The May the 4th Star Wars convention was shut down to some extent due to the fact that conventions themselves are breeding grounds for disease. This didn’t stop the convention from being hosted online as a virtual convention.
It seems as though Lucasfilms will not be following in that conventions footsteps as they have completely canceled the event. There will not even be an online variant of the convention to take its place in August, instead the event will not be held again until August of 2022. Fans who had already purchased tickets can choose to transfer those to 2022, receiving a limited-edition Stormtrooper character pin as thanks. Alternatively, they can also choose to receive a refund, or exchange the cost of the ticket for credits for Star Wars merchandise. The refund request process will run from June 22nd to August 26th for anyone that wants their money back or put towards something else.
The cancellation of this convention is a heavy blow to Star Wars fans since it is the way that new content is laid out for future plans for the franchise. All of the huge announcements about the upcoming titles involved with it are usually made at that convention and now there won’t be one for two years. Not only have they decided to cancel the event this year, but they are going to be skipping it entirely next year. One of the only reasons for that is because although it is still a year out, there is no telling just how long this pandemic will end up going on for. They have no reason to set up and plan a huge event next year if they have no idea if they can even have it at all.
By George Robbins
Plenty of films have had their release dates pushed back, with many having their dates pushed back months to accommodate for the problems plaguing theaters. In the midst of the reports saying that the virus is making a resurgence following the opening of businesses, many studios delayed their films. Most films were pushed back months in order to allow theaters the opportunity to sort out exactly how they will handle the public. They are also doing it to see if the public will actually end up going back to theaters after they are opened for awhile. Without any idea as to when they will be opened up properly, studios are finding it better just to wait longer and see than to release their films to minuscule crowds.
Many theaters have already reopened and it is becoming a pressing issue whether this will work out for them. On top of the fact many everyday people don’t want to risk the chance that they get infected after leaving the house, theaters have no movies to show. Actually, it isn’t that they have no movies to show so much as the fact they have no new movies to show. Movie theaters have their entire businesses thriving off of the fact that they have something new to show the public that they can charge for. However, most of what they have now are older films that people can watch from home through a variety of services. This has caused some movies to just be released straight to VOD, but some filmmakers are determined to keep the intended theatrical releases for their films.
Among the people who wish to have their films retain their theatrical releases is Christopher Nolan. Nolan has been pushing for his upcoming film ‘Tenet’ to maintain its original July 17th release date. He has said that he wants his film to be the first big film people will be able to go and see when theaters reopen. His hope is that his mystery movie will be enough to make people want to go back out to the movies and revive movie theaters which are suffering. It was unknown if the movie would actually end up keeping its intended original release date, and that now seems to not be the case. It appears the movie’s release date has been delayed… by two weeks.
Many studios have decided to err on the side of caution when it came to rescheduling their films’ releases, but it seems Warner Bros. will still be dropping ‘Tenet’ around the same time frame. The point of this is simply to appease Nolan who wants his film to be out there really badly. His newest movie is one that no one can glean any kind of information from regardless of what can be seen in trailers. The movie is such an enigma that even the actors have a hard time understanding what is going on in the film. The fact this movie is interesting due to fact it is a pure curiosity is the draw that Nolan is hoping will bring people through theater doors to watch it. This still doesn’t change the fact theaters are seen as dangerous and even if people pack in to see the movie, theaters are at limited capacity. Now we just have to wait and see what happens when the movie releases to theaters on July 31st.
By George Robbins
These past few months have been rough for everyone and that isn’t likely to change any time in the near future. The entertainment industry, specifically the movie industry, is having a hard time right now following the outbreak. Many studios have shifted the release schedules of their movies to reflect the current climate for movie theaters and while it may not be for many releases, some movies released straight to VOD. Even with theaters starting the process of reopening their doors to the public- with limited capacity and new health guidelines in place– they are going to have a rough time ahead of them.
Theaters currently have no public trust due to the fact they are public places with a lot of foot traffic which can cause infection to spread. This is especially relevant now that it seems the virus is hitting as a strong second wave due to businesses reopening their doors. This presents a few different dilemmas which have cropped up only within the past couple of days. Many movies that were set to release later this year such as ‘Godzilla vs. Kong‘ or the new Tom Hanks film ‘BIOS‘ have had their release dates pushed to next year. This has resulted in not many films being released this year at all, creating quite a conundrum for the Academy Awards.
The Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars, are given out every year around February to honor the best movies and the people working on them. Unfortunately, like most award ceremonies, it was unknown whether they would push back the date of the awards because of the virus. It has been officially confirmed at this point that the awards will be pushed back by eight weeks from February to April and with the extension of time comes an extension of eligibility for films. Normally there is a set date that films must be nominated by in order for them to be listed on the award nominations. Now, there will be a bigger window for movies to get on that list going into the beginning of 2021.
This is a good opportunity for movies that want to still make it into the running for the different awards presented, but many films will still not be able to make it in. There are films that were supposed to release some time within the next few months that have now been pushed back to some time next year. Many studios are hoping that by the time their films release, things could possibly go back to normal, but their is no consensus on when this might be. In the meantime, even though the eligibility period has been extended, there still may not be that many movies nominated to receive awards, even if the Academy allows movies that are streamed as well.
By George Robbins
Ever since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, plenty of public businesses have had absolutely no choice but to remain closed, until recently. Although it goes against better judgement, many businesses that have been closed have started reopening worldwide to keep economies from total collapse. Among the businesses that have had to shut down are amusement parks which receive the most amount of foot traffic when it comes to public businesses. Recently parks like Universal Orlando and Disneyland Shanghai have opened up their gates, with restrictions, to allow visitors back into their parks. There are some such as Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland in California that have plans to reopen in July when things start calming down a bit more.
Asia was the first place to get hit by the virus following the initial outbreak in China, so it is no surprise that they are now starting plans for reopening public places. Some businesses are struggling after they reopen, but there is hope for many others that they will be able to make up for lost time. Among the businesses that are set to reopen their gates are the aforementioned amusement parks and most recently announced for reopening is the Hong Kong Disneyland park. This park reopening is supposed to take place Thursday June 18th and the park will be doing what they can to reopen without much issue. The problem remains that they must follow the restrictions in place to allow people in the park including limited capacity.
Disney World itself isn’t set for a reopening until the middle of July, but some parks like the previously mentioned Disneyland Shanghai and a part of Disney Springs has been reopened with stormtroopers enforcing distancing. Disney has been trying their best to get their parks to open back up again amidst countless losses due to the virus. They haven’t had any of their parks opened properly for months and they have had to push back release dates for a countless amount of their movies. Other than the licensing money and toy lines that they sell, they have been losing a lot of money, especially since their parks must be maintained even when shut down so that they will be ready when the parks reopen to the public. There is no telling if the parks will stay opened moving forward, but they are certainly trying to get them up and running as soon as possible.
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