As we are all well aware by now, Covid-19 has caused numerous delays and is responsible for pretty much grinding most of the entertainment industry to a halt. With their parks shut down and movies delayed, Disney has had no choice but to send employees home. Which means that many people are unemployed and have no way to pay their bills. However, Disney announced that even after people were forced to stay at home in isolation, they would help by continuing to pay them. That is what leads us to the news that was recently announced with Disney execs taking pay cuts to help.
Disney, like most entertainment companies right now, is suffering due to movie delays and their parks being closed indefinitely. To keep their employees from suffering as well, they promised to keep paying them. Their commitment to that cause has just been shown to a degree as Executive Chairman Bob Iger is forgoing his paycheck and CEO Bob Chapek is taking a 50% pay cut. Vice presidents for the company will have salaries cut by 20%, senior vp’s will have a 25% cut in salaries, and executive vp’s will have their’s cut by 30% starting April 5th.
All of this comes after Disney was forced to push back the release dates for their movies for the next few months. On top of that, parks will remain shut down even longer with an amount of time ahead that nobody knows. Not everything that is happening with Disney is so terrible though since they have gained nearly 3x more subscriptions for their Disney+ streaming service. That is just a natural course of events given the fact most people are stuck at home all the time now. The streaming service itself hasn’t really been affected by the viral outbreak and this will ensure that everyone will not lose their free time.
With these pay cuts, employees will receive a bit more aid to help them in these times. Hopefully this will be enough for everybody to get through these trying times. Nowhere to go and nothing to do means that people need entertainment and streaming services sit at the top now. These services are currently one of the only forms of entertainment and will stay that way for an uncertain amount of time. As long as people do as told, this whole thing can end sooner and we can get our numerous forms of entertainment back.
Many people may not know the story, The Secret Garden tells a tale about an orphaned girl going to live with her uncle. The book that the titular story is based off was released in 1911. What would then follow were two films, one, a silent film, was released in 1919 and the other was released in 1949. The book would then go on to become a classic of English children’s literature which would be so popular that soon there will be a total of 4 films adapted from the books.
As stated, there was a more recent film, the third one that was made from the book, that was released in 1993. The film is a fantasy drama showing how difficult adjusting to a new life can be and that you have to make the best of any situation put before you. The main character of the novel is a young girl who discovers a magical garden on her uncle’s estate. She then uses that garden in order to help her family heal itself while trying to find a home for herself.
The newest iteration of ‘The Secret Garden’ is set later into the 20th century in 1947 as opposed to being set near the beginning of the century. The film follows a young orphan girl who, after being sent to live with her uncle, discovers a magical garden on the grounds of his estate. If the story is anything like the original the girl, Mary Lennox, must find her bearings after moving in with her uncle, Archibald Craven. Craven distances himself from the home, so she explores and finds a magic garden that helps her cope with her new surroundings. The garden also helps her extended family finally heal after losing a loved one.
Stars for the newest take on the classic tale include Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx. Marc Munden is directing the film, which was adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne based off the original story by Frances Hodgson Burnett. David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise, Pattington 1,2) and Rosie Alison (Paddington 1 ,2) are producing the movie and Jane Robertson (The Danish Girl, Bridget Jones’s Baby) is co-producing the film. As of now, and hopefully this doesn’t change, the film releases theatrically on August 14th after being delayed by Covid-19.
The Ghosbusters Franchise is one that has been around for a long time now, though most people don’t count the most recent reboot a part of the franchise. The two original Ghostbusters films were incredible films that audiences loved the world over. Thus, with happiness, I can say I’m looking forward to the new movie which was executively produced by Dan Aykroyd. With Aykroyd working so closely with the film when he was one of the original writers for the first films, it will hopefully stick to the established universe. ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ will hopefully give us a long awaited sequel that will go down as a classic.
For those unaware of the original film, it follows three college researchers as they open up a ghost hunting business following an encounter with one. What ends up happening is a being considered a god breaks the barrier between our world and the afterlife releasing ghosts all over New York City. Then, in the second film, an ancient evil conqueror tries to return to the world using an infant as a vessel. This brings an ocean of slime into the city which, in turn, makes ghosts appear in the world again that need busting.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. The story follows a single mom and her two kids arriving in a small town to clean up her father’s old place. They begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters, and the kids find a secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film features an original story that continues the Ghostbusters story in an entirely new era. This gives hope that the movie can give us a story with comedy woven in that is similar to the originals.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd. The movie was directed by Jason Reitman, who is known for Thank You for Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air. Reitman wrote the film alongside Gil Kenan based on the 1984 film “Ghostbusters,” an Ivan Reitman film written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It is being produced by Ivan Reitman and executively produced by Dan Aykroyd, Gil Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld, and Michael Beugg. As of now, the film is set to release on July 10th of this year.
For those unaware, Dwayne Johnson has been working on getting a Black Adam film for some time now. Johnson has started developing the Black Adam movie back in 2008 and recently found his chance to make the movie. Now that the DC Extended Universe is a thing that dream was capable of becoming a reality. However, production of the movie may end up getting heavy delays should this pandemic keep going the way it is currently. Principal photography for the film was to begin during the summer of this year, but it’s looking less likely.
Black Adam is, in actuality, an antihero in the DC universe and more specifically he is the arch-nemesis of Shazam. The most recent iteration of the character sees him as a corrupt antihero attempting to clear his name and reputation. Adam has a unique background as a protector tricked into becoming a villain and fighting the man he used to be friends with. Black Adam is a character that regularly does things considered evil and then doing something that is good. Thus, the premise of the film would probably be his origin story since Shazam will not appear in the film.
There is no way of telling when things will return to normalcy in the movie industry, but hopefully it isn’t too long. A Black Adam film would be one of the most unique hero or villain movies out there. Johnson working on the film most certainly makes it a source of buzz in the industry. He recently stated that it is looking very likely that the production will be pushed back. With most early estimates showing how unlikely it is that productions will be able to start up again until just prior to summer. As of now, the expected release date for the film is some time in December 2021.
For those who have a morbid and dark sense of humor, we’ve got you covered. We will cover some films that tell a story involving viral outbreaks. Some of these films are much more realistic than others, but it doesn’t change the fact that these films will have you thinking.
1. 12 Monkeys- First up on the list is an outbreak movie with a science fiction twist to it. 12 Monkeys follows a time traveller as he travels back in time to try and stop a deadly worldwide viral outbreak that nearly destroys humanity.
2. 28 Days Later- Next we have a film that is a little more grounded in reality. Following a rage-inducing viral outbreak in Great Britain, a man awakens from a coma to a world where society has collapsed. What is most worrying about the film is the fact that it is not a zombie outbreak. It is a virus that simply, but effectively, induces a rage state in its victims.
3. 28 Weeks Later- The sequel of 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later tells the story of two siblings accidentally reintroducing the Rage Virus. This just goes to show that even when a virus has been contained, care must still be given to make sure it can’t get out again.
4. The Andromeda Strain- An older film, but an interesting one nonetheless, The Andromeda Strain follows an alien virus of the same name. This one errs on the what if side of things with a virus that was unprecedented and extraterrestrial in origin and how it would be dealt with.
5. Cabin Fever- This movie is unique in the fact that there are two versions of the film. There is a 2002 version, and then there is the 2016 remake. The movie follows a group of friends out on a camping trip having a fatal encounter with a flesh-eating virus. This one is a horror comedy though, so don’t take it too seriously.
6. Contagion- Of all of the movies listed thus far, Contagion is the most terrifyingly real film. The reason for that is everything in the movie represents what would happen in a true viral outbreak, like what is happening now. It is a film that should be watched if you want insight as to how it all works.
7. Outbreak- This list would be incomplete without the movie Outbreak. The premise of the film is the spread of a deadly virus that spreads like the flu and kills quickly. The movie is set on a lower scale with a lot less people being infected, but with a 100% mortality rate, the threat of the virus is what keeps people on their toes.
Director David Gordon Green is responsible as director for a number of shows like Red Oaks and Vice Principles, and for movies that performed well like Pineapple Express and the newest Halloween movie. Green has made films on small budgets that brought in a decent box office figure including the newest Halloween film. With a budget of only $10 million, the 2018 rendition of Halloween brought in over $255 million.
Using the favorable reviews and the Box Office success of the first movie, Green has started moving ahead with the next film in his trilogy. He has already stated that the next two films will be his last, so he is putting everything he can into them. The 2018 Halloween was a direct sequel to the 1978 version of the film following the story of Laurie Strode and her continued fight against serial killer Michael Myers. After he escapes while in the middle of his prison transfer, Laurie must fight back against the stalker. This time she is prepared to fight against her nemesis, but Michael Myers is not a force that will stop.
Next up, in Green’s Trilogy, is ‘Halloween Kills’ which continues the story and Laurie’s struggle against Michael. We will get to see how everyone will handle the return of the horrific stalker. Faces old and new will have no choice but to face off against what they fear most and hope that they come out of it alive. Audiences will have the chance to yet again fear the man in the mask.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprising their roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, with James Jude Courtney also portraying Myers. Also reprising their roles from the 2018 and 1978 films are Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, Charles Cyphers and Nancy Stephens with Anthony Michael Hall also joining. It is written by written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The movie is currently planned for a release on October 16th of this year.
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