Steve Pond's Blog, page 2034
December 20, 2019
‘Witcher’ Showrunner, Henry Cavill Say Series Shouldn’t Be Confusing to Those Who Didn’t Read the Books
(Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for Episodes 1-4 of Netflix’s “The Witcher.”)
Netflix’s “The Witcher” launched Friday, and if you are a fan of the best-selling fantasy book series the show is based, then much of the plot should be familiar enough to allow you to dive into this whole new world fairly quickly.
But if you haven’t read Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s works about Geralt of Rivia, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and star Henry Cavill are still confident you won’t be confused by “The Witcher,” despite the fact the show has three different timelines running at once, which is a) a serious departure from the novels and stories and b) something that is not immediately obvious to the viewer.
Actually, Hissirch is hoping this will help more than hurt, seeing as the different timelines allowed her to introduce main characters monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Cavill), sorceress Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and young princess Ciri (Freya Allan) all at once, which is also a major departure from the books.
Also Read: Why Netflix Is Betting You'll Want 'The Witcher' Season 2 - Before You've Seen Season 1
“What was important to me is starting off and making sure that we understood who Geralt was and who Ciri was, and then, in Episode 2, who Yennefer was,” Hissirch told TheWrap. “And one of our early decisions we made was actually just to introduce Geralt and Ciri in Episode 1 and to hold Yennefer for Episode 2 for that exact reason. There’s only so much you can take in. And I want to make sure that what I call the ‘bells and whistles of fantasy’ — the monsters and the magic and the violence and battles and sexuality — all of those things we expect from high fantasy, that those don’t take up the room of actual character development. We need to let the characters live and breathe in this world a little bit. That was one of the reasons we structured the story that way.”
Hissirch said she chose to use multiple timelines without explaining that there were multiple timelines because she “wanted viewers who weren’t familiar with ‘The Witcher’ to be able to watch the first episode and believe they could be happening on the same timeline.”
“There’s a couple of hints in the first episode that we’ve got some interesting things happening with time, but unless you’re paying a lot of attention or know what you’re looking for, they could easily pass you as little bits of dialogue,” she said. “Because I didn’t want to force a viewer, especially a new fan, to be working that hard, I just want them to enjoy the first episode. It’s sort of as if you’re thrown into the deep end already with all the characters and all the places, I didn’t want to have to enforce that they were working on different timelines, too.”
Also Read: 'The Witcher' Star Henry Cavill Explains Geralt's Accent
“To me, it becomes really evident, obviously, by Episode 4,” she continued. “This is the place where I think all audiences will go, ‘Oh my god. OK, now this is making a little bit more sense,’ where Queen Calanthe — who we see kill herself in Episode 1 — is younger and back to life in Episode 4. And hopefully, god, if I was watching this, I would want to go back to the beginning and see how they’ve been telling me this from the beginning. And I hope people will go back and rewatch and see what other little Easter eggs are planted in there.”
Cavill — a self-professed huge fan of “The Witcher” novels — told TheWrap that he thinks what Hissirch has done “fantastically well” in bringing the origin stories of Yennefer and Ciri into the show immediately might actually help a non-reader viewer understand things quicker.
“In the first book, it’s all a collection of Geralt’s short stories, which originally were written as separate short stories, and have been collected in the first book and a narrative string is between each story which travels all the way through and you actually meet Yennefer at the end of this book,” Cavill said. “But in this case, Lauren has done an amazing job and Anya has done an extraordinary job of bringing Yennefer to life before we meet her in the books.”
Also Read: 'The Witcher' Showrunner Says Netflix Series Will Never Adapt the Video Games
The book series is certainly not structured in the sort of neat and tidy way a television show is — the early stories that Cavill mentions are basically a series of episodes that focus entirely on Geralt. We learn things about Yennefer’s past, for example, through Geralt’s perspective, rather than because there’s a story in that collection about her origin. So the show is taking that sort of information to build an actual present narrative for Yennefer instead of essentially having her only exist when she’s near Geralt. It’s probably a helpful way to do this in the long run just because it lets viewers get to know her better this way.
“I think the people that haven’t read the books, that’ll actually be a lot easier for them to get into because they have the Yennefer and Ciri storylines, which are amazingly performed, from the get-go,” Cavill added. “With the Geralt storyline, it’s a slower burn. If you’ve read the books, then yes, you have the privilege of knowing the why, the what and the how. But with his storyline, it’s a slower burn and you discover him bit by bit, more and moreover the season and through future seasons.”
Still, Hissirch is prepared for viewers who know nothing about “The Witcher” franchise to have the experience of “being thrown into the deep end” — but says that “is part of the experience of entering a fantasy world, which is it is a world that doesn’t resemble ours.”
Also Read: 45 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2019, From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Stranger Things' (Photos)
“The place names aren’t familiar, the people’s names sound weird. Nothing is really familiar,” she said. “The most important thing to me in Episode 1 is that you understand what a witcher is, once you have that knowledge, then you can kind of be along for the ride and things that seem confusing in Episode 1, hopefully, by the time you get to Episode 2 and Episode 3, you go ‘Oh my God, I totally understand what these things are now — but I understand why it wasn’t told to me immediately upfront.’ I think the journey is definitely part of that experience.”
Now when it comes to you viewers who did read the books and want to see the strictest adaptation possible, Hissirch has this message: “What I would say to people is, we’re adapting the source material, we’re going back to the books, we’re trying to honor the books — but it is an adaptation.”
“For purely logistical reasons, we can’t go page through page of the book and put it on screen,” she said. “We only have eight hours in this first season and we have to pick and choose the best ways to introduce these characters and the stories we tell about them — and also keep in mind what we’re hoping to set up for the future. We’re in a lucky enough position now that we know there is going to be a Season 2 of ‘The Witcher,’ so some of what we’re doing is laying down the building blocks for future seasons of stories we know we want to tell. And I always hate the losing from the source material, that’s the hardest thing. Adding things can be fun and I think we do a lot of them, but there are certain complications to stories that we did have to lose on screen, usually for time and to make space to be with characters as they are growing and changing and developing.”
Also Read: 'The Witcher' Gets Early Season 2 Renewal at Netflix
“Really, the biggest change we make to the source material is making sure that Ciri and Yennefer are also well-represented in this story,” she added. “It was really important to me to establish ‘The Last Wish,’ which was the first book that I read and the book I really fell in love with, but Ciri’s not alive yet during that book. So I didn’t want to wait until Season 2 or Season 3 to wait to introduce her, I wanted her to be a part of Season 1. So we made the decision to play with time and have these three different timelines so that we could tell each of their stories in a really thorough and full way.”
“The Witcher” Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'The Witcher' Gets Early Season 2 Renewal at Netflix
'The Witcher' Showrunner Says Netflix Series Will Never Adapt the Video Games
45 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2019, From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Stranger Things' (Photos)
‘The Affair’ Creator Sarah Treem Pushes Back Against Report of ‘Toxic’ Work Environment on Showtime Drama
“The Affair” creator Sarah Treem is pushing back on an earlier report characterizing the work environment on the Showtime drama as “toxic” and “hostile.”
In a column for Deadline, Treem compared the situation to the “Rashomon”-style biased perspectives employed by the show itself.
The column comes two days after the Hollywood Reporter report, citing multiple anonymous sources, that Treem and the show’s producers tried to “cajole” actors into performing nude against their expressed wishes on multiple occasions and were further careless in protecting those actors’ privacy on set. According to the report, the situation led to a tension between Treem and series star Ruth Wilson, leading up to her contentious exit from the series after its fourth season.
“Unfortunately, not much of my perspective made it into the [THR] story,” she wrote, “nor the perspectives of many of the half dozen senior level producers, director and other key crew members who spoke up.”
Treem went on to detail the disagreements she had with Wilson over the direction of the character and the frequency of on-screen sex scenes, recounting multiple instances where she and the actress negotiated limits throughout the first season.
“On a continuous basis throughout Ruth’s time on the show, I tried to protect her and shoot sex scenes safely and respectfully,” she wrote.
“We didn’t agree on the choices of the character or whether or not a sex scene was necessary to advance the plot, but that is not the same thing as not respecting or supporting an actress’s need to feel safe in her work environment, which is something I always take incredibly seriously.”
Also Read: 'The Affair' Co-Creator Sarah Treem Signs Overall Deal With Fox 21 Television Studios
Wilson has not publicly spoken out about the reasons for her exit, but the THR report cited “ongoing frustrations with the nudity required of her, friction with Treem over the direction of her character, and what she ultimately felt was a ‘hostile work environment.'”
“I did not always agree with Ruth Wilson, but I did always have respect for her craft, her ability and her process and I tried to write her a character deserving of her immense talent,” Treem wrote. “I know she’ll continue to tell the story of complex, multi-faceted, remarkable female characters for the rest of her long career. I plan on doing the same.”
Read her full column at Deadline.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Ruth Wilson Says She's 'Not Allowed' to Say Why She Left 'The Affair'
What’s New on DVD in December: ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette,’ ‘Until the End of the World,’ ‘Twin Peaks’ and More
New Indie
Don’t let the Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress make you think that Cate Blanchett didn’t actually do great work in “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), easily one of the most underappreciated films of 2019. From a confusing marketing campaign to dissatisfaction among fans of the book, this Richard Linklater comedy’s unique charms and insights were appreciated by too few moviegoers, so here’s hoping it finds an audience on home video. Blanchett is riveting and hilarious as an architect choking in domesticity and desperately searching a way to kickstart her life. Billy Crudup — the MVP of “The Morning Show” — and Kristen Wiig lead up a terrific supporting cast.
Also available: Nat Wolff pops up in two military-themed dramas for Lionsgate, as Marine Corps reservist Jai Courtney’s ne’er-do-well brother in “Semper Fi” and as a soldier in Afghanistan who’s seen too much in “The Kill Team”; one of the year’s most talked-about LGBTQ films was the controversial “Adam” (Wolfe Video), the feature directorial debut of “Transparent” producer Rhys Ernst; believe the hype — Renee Zellweger’s knockout performance as Judy Garland in “Judy” (Lionsgate) is the stuff of legend; Ethan Hawke stars in Logan Marshall-Green’s directorial debut “Adopt a Highway” (RLJE Films); the ’80s-flavored thriller “Low Tide” (Lionsgate) sends as group of friends on a treasure hunt with escalating stakes.
See Photos: All 21 Richard Linklater Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best
New Foreign
[CW: suicide]
The 2017 suicide of director Hu Bo at age 29 leaves us with just one feature, but it’s a memorable one: “An Elephant Sitting Still” (KimStim) follows a day in the life of a group of people in an industrial Chinese city, all left behind by the nation’s economic book and looking to start over elsewhere. At nearly four hours long, it’s a film that both demands and rewards your attention, and it’s a tragic testament to a promising young filmmaker.
Also available: Danish Oscar submission “Queen of Hearts” (Breaking Glass Pictures) sees a powerful female attorney embarking on a taboo love affair; a policeman and a trio of thieves square off against the elements and each other in the Chinese thriller “Savage” (Well Go USA Entertainment); in Dennis Do’s “Funan” (GKIDS/Shout Factory), the filmmaker channels his harrowing memories of life under the Khmer Rouge into haunting animation.
The “Battle of Leningrad” (MPI Home Video) forms the basis of an epic new war film from Russia; a South African young man and his adopted brother enter a power struggle for their parents’ love in the fascinating “The Harvesters” (Altered Innocence); not to be confused with the O’Neill play, the Chinese drama “Long Day’s Journey into Night” (Kino Lorber) demands to be seen on a 3D TV for the film’s bravura use of the medium.
In “The Ground Beneath My Feet” (Strand Releasing Home Entertainment), a lesbian executive in Germany fights to keep her work life and her own sanity under ruthless control; two teen runaways make their way through Sardinia in hopes of a better life in “Twin Flower” (Film Movement); Vincent Cassel stars in legendary Brazilian filmmaker Carlos Diegues’ “The Great Mystical Circus” (Kino Lorber), a saga of five generations of show folk under the big top.
New Doc
The roots of where American politics has sunk to are explored in “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), another fascinating documentary by Matt Tyrnauer (“Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” “Studio 54”) that examines queer culture and its impact on society at large. The deeply closeted Cohn happily helped Joe McCarthy during the HUAC hearings and then spent the life lining his own pocket while supporting some of the most unethical and corrupt people around, including the current POTUS. Tyrnauer wisely never tries to humanize Cohn, but he does examine where he came from and what motivated him to commit the acts he did.
Also available: To raise your mood after watching the Roy Cohn deck, check out “Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins” (Magnolia Home Entertainment), a reminder of the impact of speaking truth to power, especially when you do so with wit; the 4K nature documentary “Turtle Odyssey: Bunji’s Big Adventure” (Shout Factory) features narration by Russell Crowe and will beautifully show off your home system; a legendary cinematographer gets to be in front of the camera in “Water and Sugar: Carlo Di Palma, The Colours of Life” (Kino Lorber); service dogs comfort veterans with PTSD in “To Be of Service” (First Run Features), a moving tribute to these loving Best Friends.
Yoko Ono and Jonas Mekas are among the expert witnesses discussing the mid-20th century’s avant-garde art movement in “George: The Story of George Maciunas and Fluxus” (Kino Lorber); in “Tattoo Uprising” (First Run Features), filmmaker Alan Govenar takes a close look at skin art, both in history and in its many current iterations; the treatment of refugees worldwide is the vital focus of Markus Imhoof’s “Eldorado” (Kino Lorber).
“The Miracle of the Little Prince” (Film Movement) uses the much-translated novel as a way of looking at efforts to save dying languages around the planet; a fascinating piece of TV history is captured in “David Susskind Archive: Interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (MVD Visual), while “Dick Cavett: Pioneers of New York Radio” (Liberation Hall) features discussions with on-air personalities ranging from Bob and Ray to Howard Stern; “Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground” (Juno Films) celebrates a forgotten figure who played a key role in the counterculture of the 1960s.
So many music documentaries this month, from the avant-garde of “That Pärt Feeling: The Universe of Arvo Pärt” (Film Movement); to the moving portraits of essential vocalists like “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” (Kino Lorber) and “Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives” (Omnibus Entertainment). “Monochrome: Black, White & Blue” (MVD Visual) tracks the evolution of the blues and of American history, and where they intersect; one of rock’s legendary plane crashes is recalled in “I’ll Never Forget You: The Last 72 Hours of Lynyrd Skynyrd” (MVD Visual); “Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho” (MVD Visual) examines a fascinating cult figure in American music; “Come on Feel the Noize: The Story of How Rock Became Metal” (Cleopatra Entertainment) tracks the rise of the head-banger; a legendary British music publication is the subject of the acclaimed “Melody Makers” (Cleopatra Entertainment); and a country legend gives one last concert in “Kenny Rogers: The Gambler’s Last Deal” (Wienerworld), filmed in London.
Watch Video: 'Where's My Roy Cohn?' Director Explains How McCarthy's Counsel and Trump Are 'Cut From the Same Cloth'
New Grindhouse
While I still chafe at the phrase “elevated horror,” it is fascinating to see the evolution of what was once considered an outcast genre into something that’s taken seriously as art (from time to time, anyway). Case in point: “The Fly” Collection (Scream Factory), which takes us from the low-budget monster movies of yore to David Cronenberg’s elegant (but terrifying) 1980s reimagining, moving the story of an experiment gone wrong from creature-feature to metaphor about AIDS. But in the same way that there is terror to be found in the more recent telling, there’s also art (and craft) to the older one. This collection features 1958’s original “The Fly” and its two sequels as well as the 1986 remake and its own follow-up, plus loads of new interviews and extras.
Also available: Little-seen Canucksploitation horror fave “Wicked World” (AGFA/Bleeding Skull) gets a new director’s cut; “Automation” (Dread) wonders what happens when the robots who replace us get replaced themselves; we can’t call it a Stephen King “revival” if he never went away, but the “Silver Bullet”: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory) features new interviews and commentary for his werewolf saga; there’s a masked killer appearing on Halloween in “Trick” (RLJE Films), and only the cop who tried bringing him down before can stop him.
Universal Horror Collection: Volume 3 features some of the studio’s fun deeper cuts — starring the likes of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price — including “Tower of London,” “Man-Made Monster,” “The Black Cat” and “Horror Island” (Scream Factory); it’s totally a cookbook in the cannibal comedy “A Feast of Man” (IndiePix Films); two new double-feature discs feature some of the goofy genre movies Sylvester Stallone makes between “Creed” and “Rambo” sequels, offering selections like “Avenging Angelo”/”Shade” and “Eye See You”/”Reach Me” (both MVD Marquee Collection).
Watch Video: James Corden Sings About Jeff Goldblum's Pecs in Parody of Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next'
New Classic
For years, one of my most-wanted Blu-rays was a U.S. release of the legendary five-hour director’s cut of Wim Wenders’ “Until the End of the World,” and now, thanks to The Criterion Collection, that wish has come true. Butchered to half its length in its theatrical cut, this globetrotting epic finally exists in its true form, and it’s a movie that grows in impact with each passing year. Wenders set out to make “the ultimate road movie,” as adventurer Solveig Dommartin chases William Hurt around the world (often with her boyfriend Sam Neill in tow). This 1991 film was incredibly prescient about the Y2K panic, GPS and the internet, and the way humanity would eventually become obsessed with staring at handheld screens all day. It’s sweeping and provocative, featuring one of the 1990s’ greatest soundtracks, and this long-awaited release vindicates a long-unseen masterpiece.
Also available: Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliant “Slaughterhouse-Five” (Arrow Video) was brought to the screen with intelligence and intensity by director George Roy Hill (with the story’s time-hopping handled brilliantly by legendary editor Dede Allen); “The Cotton Club Encore” (Lionsgate) doesn’t entirely fix the flaws of Francis Ford Coppola’s ambitious gangster musical, but it restores some amazing previously-unseen footage, including an instant-classic number featuring a young Jackee Harry; bizarre Canadian cult classic and kid-movie freakout “The Peanut Butter Solution” (Severin Films) demands to be seen; Bertrand Tavernier’s “A Sunday in the Country” (Kino Classics) isn’t like watching paint dry, but it is the filmic equivalent to a great Impressionist painting.
Critic-turned-filmmaker Paul Schrader made an auspicious debut with the still-relevant labor tale “Blue Collar” (Kino Lorber); “Candy” (Shout Select) afforded the late Heath Ledger a rare opportunity to make a movie using his native Australian accent; the post-apocalyptic 1950s drama “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” (Warner Archive Collection) would make a great double-bill with the more recent “Z for Zachariah,” which parallels the earlier film in many ways.
One of the great anime features of all time, “Millennium Actress” (Shout Factory) gets a lavish new Blu-ray release; Fritz Lang’s Indian Epic gives a 4K restoration to the film titan’s two-part saga (“The Tiger of Eschnapur” and “The Indian Tomb”) and the extras include documentarian Mark Rappaport’s tribute to actress Debra Paget (Film Movement); and speaking of lesser-known films from legendary auteurs, Hitchcock: British International Pictures Collection features a quintet of titles — “The Ring,” “The Farmer’s Wife,” “Champagne,” “The Manxman” and “The Skin Game” — made by the Master of Suspense before Hollywood came calling (Kino Classics); the outrageous teen satire “Jawbreaker” gets a Blu-ray debut to celebrate its 20th anniversary (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).
Jacques Rivette’s ambitious, two-part telling of the story of Joan of Arc, from battlefield to courtroom, gets a beautiful restoration in a new collection, “Joan the Maid” (Cohen Film Collection); there’s tongue-in-cheek derring-do aplenty in 1980’s action comedy “Jake Speed” (Arrow Video); Jeff Bridges and seemingly every up-and-coming white actor of 1996 test their limits in “White Squall” (Kino Lorber).
John Carpenter’s beloved “Big Trouble in Little China” (Scream Factory) gets a Collector’s Edition release with two new audio commentaries; “The Bad and the Beautiful” (Warner Archive Collection) ranks among the best Hollywood movies about how Hollywood destroys everyone and everything; right up there with “Danger: Diabolik” among the best films ever subjected to the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” treatment, the fantasy epic “The Magic Sword” (Kino Lorber) is actually lots of fun; Jim Jarmusch’s most divisive movie, “The Limits of Control” (Arrow Video), gets a new Blu-ray, so judge this 2009 experiment for yourself.
The platonic ideal of a career-retrospective box set features titles from multiple distributors, so kudos to Shout Selects for curating The Anne Bancroft Collection, even though the films featured — including “Don’t Bother to Knock,” “The Miracle Worker,” “The Pumpkin Eater,” “The Graduate,” “Fatso” (her directorial debut), “To Be or Not to Be,” “Agnes of God” and “84 Charing Cross Road” — were no doubt a contractual nightmare to assemble in one package; Oscar nominee “Camille Claudel” (Kino Classics) stars Isabelle Adjani as the passionate young pupil of sculptor Rodin (Gérard Depardieu); in “Glorifying the American Girl” (Kino Classics), we see the Ziegfeld Follies captured for the big screen, along with early-talkies-era stars Eddie Cantor and Rudy Vallee.
New TV
Streaming is great, but guess what — you can’t wrap ones and zeroes and put them under your Christmas tree. If you want to dazzle the TV-lover in your life this holiday, two collections stand out as exhaustive collections of acclaimed programming. “Twin Peaks”: From Z to A (CBS/Paramount) features all three seasons of David Lynch’s visionary series, plus the feature film and more than 20 hours of extra materials. There’s also no shortage of extras on “Game of Thrones”: The Complete Series (HBO Home Entertainment), which features more than 15 hours of additional content from earlier seasons as well as plenty of new interviews, outtakes and featurettes from the show’s climactic season.
Also available: Check out the one-of-a-kind Canadian comedy series that’s become a cult sensation in the lower 48 with “Letterkenny”: Seasons 1 & 2 (Universal Studios Home Entertainment); “Sesame Street”: 50th Anniversary Celebration (Shout Kids) captures five decades of letters, numbers, and sweepin’ the clouds away; if “Bombshell” left you wanting to see more about the downfall of Roger Ailes, the cable miniseries “The Loudest Voice” (Showtime/CBS/Paramount) has a lot more to say on the subject; the antics continue in that amazing piece of San Francisco real estate on “Fuller House”: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
“The Orville”: The Complete Second Season (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) continues to go familiarly boldly; the ongoing release of the full run of the legendary Japanese sci-fi adventure continues with “Ultraman: UltraSeven” (Mill Creek Entertainment); they just don’t make TV movies like they used to, but they used to make deliciously cheesy movies like “Amazons” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics), about a squad of deadly female assassins; “Noon Wine” (Kino Classics) stars Fred Ward and Stellan Skarsgård in an “American Playhouse” adaptation of the Katherine Anne Porter novella, produced by Merchant Ivory.
Probably not coming to Disney+ anytime soon is “Family Guy”: Season 17 (20th Century Fox Home Video); the French chiller “The Returned”: The Complete Second Season (Music Box Films) continues to contemplate a world in which the departed come back and expect to step back into their old lives; Danny Huston and Tom Conti guest-star in the cozy comedy “Doc Martin,” Series 9 (Acorn TV); “City on a Hill”: Season One (Showtime/CBS/Paramount) shows the nitty-gritty of law and order in 1990s Boston.
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Linda Ronstadt Needles Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for 'Enabling Donald Trump' – To His Face
'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice' Review: Rock Doc Starts and Ends With the Music
'Game of Thrones' Creators Directed Leslie Jones' Upcoming Netflix Standup Special
45 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2019, From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Stranger Things' (Photos)
What to Watch Christmas Week 2019: TheWrap’s TV Viewing Guide (Photos)
Whether you’re home for the holidays this year or staying put, one thing’s for sure — a lot of movies will be watched next week. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and compiled a list of where and when to watch all of your Christmas favorites, from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“The Santa Clause” (Saturday at 5:05 p.m., Sunday at 10:15 a.m., Christmas Eve at 1:30 p.m., and Christmas at 11 a.m. on Freeform) Tim Allen is forced to become Santa due to a contractual agreement in this holiday classic.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”(2000) (Saturday at 9:15 p.m., Dec. 22 at 4:40 p.m., Sunday at 9:20 p.m., and Christmas Eve at 5:40 p.m. on Freeform, and now streaming on Netflix) Jim Carrey at his absolute best? The argument could be made. Catch the 1966 animated version at 8 p.m. on Christmas on NBC.
“Elf” (Saturday at 6 p.m., and on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m. on AMC) Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without Buddy the Elf and a plate of candy-coated spaghetti.
“Home Alone” (Sunday at 7:20 p.m., Monday at 4:10 p.m., and on Christmas at 5:50 p.m. on Freeform). “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (Dec. 22 at 9:50 p.m., Dec. 23 at 6:40 p.m., and Dec. 25 at 8:20 p.m.) Both are also streaming on Disney+. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
“The Polar Express” (Sunday at 11 p.m., and Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. on AMC) Can you still hear the bells?
“Fred Claus” (Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on AMC) Vince Vaughan plays Santa’s brother, in an alternate universe where Santa is Paul Giamatti.
“A Home For the Holidays with Idina Menzel” (Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS) The “Frozen” star will perform with guest stars Adam Lambert, Ne-Yo, and Kelly Roland as they celebrate heart-warming stories of adoption.
“Frosty the Snowman” (Saturday at 12:55 p.m., Christmas Eve at 8:20 p.m., and Christmas at 3:10 p.m. on Freeform) Who has a corn cob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal? This guy.
“I Love Lucy Christmas Special” (Friday at 8 p.m. on CBS) A back-to-back broadcasting of “The Christmas Episode” and the newly colored “Paris at Last.”
“Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” (Christmas Day at 10 a.m. on ABC) Coming to you live from the Magic Kingdom.
“Happy New Year, Charlie Brown” (Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC) Put this on and then play “Christmas Time Is Here.”
“The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show” (Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) Pop-country star Kacey Musgraves hosts a variety special featuring Camila Cabello, James Corden, Lana Del Rey, Kendall Jenner, Leon Bridges, and more.
“Love Actually” (Streaming now on HBO) There’s no shame in watching Hugh Grant do that dance just ooooone more time.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” (Streaming now on Amazon) One of the all-time Christmas classics.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (Streaming now on Disney+) “And I, Jack! THE PUMPKIN KING…”
“Christmas With the Kranks” (Saturday at 4 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on AMC) Tim Allen has blessed us once again with another worthy Christmas movie.
“Let It Snow” (Now streaming on Netflix) A snowstorm, a midwestern town, a group of high school students… need we say more?
“A Christmas Prince 3: The Royal Baby” (Now streaming on Netflix) It’s not baby Archie, but it’s close enough.
“Merry Happy Whatever” (Streaming now on Netflix) Binge all of season one of this Dennis Quaid comedy.
“The Holiday” (Now streaming on Hulu) A classic rom-com with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. What could be better?
Related stories from TheWrap:
Ryan Reynolds Has a Novel – and Smelly – Way to Get Rid of Guests This Christmas (Video)
The 20 Worst Parts of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
(This post contains basically all possible spoilers for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” It’s literally a list of spoilers.)
The wait for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is finally over, and while certainly many audiences have loved it, there are also many who woke up this morning full of regrets. This list is for the latter group. All are welcome, of course, but if you liked the movie then our list of things we didn’t like about it will probably make you mad or something.
1. One thousand Death Stars
Late in the movie it’s revealed that this massive fleet of Star Destroyers that Emperor Palpatine pulled out of the ice on Exogol at the beginning of the movie was equipped with Death Star lasers. The reveal is made when one of them blows up a planet for no particular reason. The Resistance folks then briefly huddle up and decide that probably all those ships can do that. That seems like an illogical conclusion to draw, because that would mean the bad guys have an entire fleet of Death Stars, which would be easily the most ludicrous thing that has ever happened in a “Star Wars” movie. But since the issue is never mentioned again we aren’t sure what other conclusion we could come to.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Actually Makes 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens' Worse
2. The Rebel fleet from nowhere
To challenge all those Death Stars, the Resistance launches an attack on Exogol with only a Corellian Corvette and like one single fighter squadron and one carrier ship full of troops. Fortunately for them, Lando spent a couple hours flying around the galaxy and casually assembling the biggest fleet we’ve ever seen in any of these movies. That’s absolutely crazy. Lando was not even gone that long.
3. The Emperor returns before the movie starts
There’s a lot of creative decisions on this movie I can’t even begin to understand, and the most confusing of those is the decision to have Emperor Palpatine make his big return to the galactic stage between movies. How do you bring back a dead character and not even let us see characters reacting to that revelation as it happens? This one actually makes me mad. If you’re gonna cram a whole trilogy of stories in one movie, you still have to start at the beginning.
4. Rey is the Emperor’s granddaughter
The climax of the “Skywalker Saga” was about two Palpatine family members fighting each other. Incredible.
Also Read: Nothing About Emperor Palpatine's Return in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Makes Sense
5. Luke and Leia knew about Rey’s lineage the whole time
This is just a confusing bit. When did they learn this important fact? Why had they never done anything with that tidbit of key info? There’s a lot of weird ramifications to their possession of this knowledge, and “The Rise of Skywalker” has no interest in exploring any of them.
6. Leia died for no reason
They decided to kill off Leia in the strangest and low-key way: by calling out through the Force. It took Luke physically projecting himself across the galaxy and doing a lightsaber fight before the effort killed him. How weak are we supposed to think Leia is?
7. The Knights of Ren
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios
Late in the film, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is forced to fight his former bros the Knights of Ren in order to earn his redemption. It’s a powerful scene, the culmination of a character arc stretching back three films… is what we’d say if the Knights had like, any role before “The Rise of Skywalker.” They’re in this trilogy for less than 5 minutes, none of them speaks or has any personality, and they don’t even use lightsabers. They basically existed only so we’d know the origin of Kylo Ren’s dorky last name, and when we finally saw them up close, it turns out they dress like the corniest nu metal band of 1996. PASS.
8. The Resurrection
So Rey kills Palpatine, and then dies. Kylo Ren climbs out of the hole he fell into, and somehow uses the Force to revive her corpse. They can just resurrect people now! OK!
9. The Kiss
So Rey is alive again, and the first thing she does is make out with Kylo Ren. They haven’t had an ounce of romantic chemistry in these movies, but some “Star Wars” nerds shipped them so I guess they had to do it.
Also Read: Whose Voices Were Those at the End of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'?
10. The Death
Immediately after this kiss, Ben rolls over and dies, apparently having given all of his life force to Rey to bring her back to life in what was supposed to be the film’s most dramatic and emotionally poignant scene. At that precise moment in our screening, the entire theater burst into hysterical laughter. Whoops.
11. The Force can do literally anything
All wounds are trivial now because Force users can easily heal them. If they’re too late and the person died, they can just bring them back from the dead. Need to ship a package? Just use the Force to teleport it! Wanna have a lightsaber duel with somebody a hundred miles away? The Force has online multiplayer. Rey is just a God now, the most powerful being who ever lived. But Leia died from yelling.
12. Chewie died but actually he didn’t
This whole sequence is strange. Chewie gets captured by the First Order when he’s like 30 yards from the rest of our heroes. Then Rey accidentally blows up the ship they were taking him away on. Except actually Chewie was on a different but identical ship because “The Rise of Skywalker” wanted to pull a stupidly manipulative misdirect.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' - We Need to Talk About This Rose Tico Situation
13. C-3PO got his memory wiped but then got it back
So our heroes need to read something in the Sith language, which it turns out 3PO can read. Unfortunately, his programming forbids him from translating it. (Who did this? Doesn’t matter. It just is.) This forces them to reboot 3PO to override that programming, which will erase his memory and effectively kill him as he’s been known. It sounds sad, and 3PO even gets an emotional farewell out of it. Then the film pulls a movie length JK because not only is it played for laughs from there out, at the end 3PO gets his memories restored thanks to a backup on R2D2’s hard drive.
14. Poe has Han Solo’s backstory now
One of the 57 new planets we visit in “The Rise of Skywalker” is Kijimi, where we meet Poe’s ex-girlfriend, who reveals that Poe was a spice runner before becoming a Resistance fighter. Because for some reason they needed a new Han I guess.
15. General Hux
Speaking of criminally underdeveloped characters, Hux is revealed to be a mole within the First Order, feeding information to the Resistance, uh Rebellion two movies after his Reichstag speech on Starkiller base, because he hates Kylo Ren more than he loves the First Order. And then, literally the next scene after we learn this, he’s unceremoniously killed by his commanding officer who announces “we found the mole.” Hux joins Boba Fett and Captain Phasma in the pantheon of Star Wars bad guys whose deaths are as pointless as, it turns out, the characters themselves were. At least he got more lines than Rose Tico.
16. The Force told those stormtroopers to rebel
Finn meets a woman name Jannah, who was also a former First Order stormtrooper who had been stolen from her parents when she was a kid and then rebelled as an adult. And they have this fun moment where they talk about how they decided to rebel because they had this weird feeling that they should. And they decide that feeling was the Force. Not, you know, their conscience. Or guilt about helping out a fascist government. They’d have happily done state-sponsored murder had the Force not pinged them, I guess.
17. Ghost Luke
So Luke died, and is a ghost. But he can still pick up physical objects with his non-physical hand. And he can use the Force to lift his X-Wing out of the ocean. Sounds like being dead is all upside.
18. Pretending Rose wasn’t a main character
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios
Congratulations racist, sexist harassers: Your complaints were heard.
19. Maz Kanata
They got the amazing Lupita Nyong’o to play maybe the most pointless character in this whole trilogy. The only thing of note she does in this movie is give Chewbacca a medal in an egregiously annoying bit of fan service.
20. Chewbacca gets a medal
I’m not sure how Maz giving Chewie a medal for no reason whatsoever is supposed to make up for his snub in the original “Star Wars” film. This bit feels so shameless.
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Whose Voices Were Those at the End of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’?
(As you may expect given the headline, we’ve got some big spoilers ahead for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Like we’re gonna get right into it.)
The third act of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is a lot to take in. And right as we get to the film’s climax, there is a particularly surprising moment which features cameos by several older “Star Wars” characters that nobody really expected to make any sort of appearance in this film.
She’s been knocked flat on her back, Palpatine having sucked the life force or something out of her and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Earlier, Palpatine had bragged that the spirits of all the Sith lords of the past lived within him, and as Rey lies on the ground we find out that she’s got a similar situation going on — with past Jedi.
So as the camera slowly zooms in on her face, we hear voices encouraging Rey and telling her that they’ve got her back. A lot of these voices will be immediately familiar to everyone, but some others will be more difficult to place. What we’re going to do right here in this article is identify them all for you so you can fill in whatever blanks you draw on these voices, or to confirm what you already know. So let’s get into it.
Also Read: The 20 Worst Parts of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
Obviously, we’ve got a bunch of prominent characters from previous movies here. We’ve got Yoda (Frank Oz). We have ole Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), which is a pretty big surprise. We’ve got Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). We have freakin’ Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson). We even have both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan for some reason.
Those are the big names, but there are five other Jedi voices that fans of animated “Star Wars” shows might recognize. There are a bunch who are primarily known for their roles in the “Star Wars: Clone Wars” animated series: Luminara Unduli (Olivia D’Abo), Aayla Secura (Jennifer Hale), Adi Gallia (Angelique Perrin) and Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). And we also have an original “Rebels” character in Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr).
Ahsoka, who was in both “Clone Wars” and “Rebels,” has actually not died in the current “Star Wars” canon, and in the series finale of “Rebels” she was still alive after the Empire’s defeat in “Return of the Jedi.” And she wouldn’t be old enough to die of old age by the time of this movie because she was born just a couple years before Han Solo was.
Also Read: Nothing About Emperor Palpatine's Return in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Makes Sense
So I guess that fans will be able to look forward to seeing her die at some point, though who knows whether it’ll happen in a book or comic or TV show or what. Maybe she’ll pop up in the finale of “The Mandalorian” next week and die heroically saving Baby Yoda. Your guess is as good as anybody’s.
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The 20 Worst Parts of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
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‘Sweetbitter’ Canceled by Starz After 2 Seasons
“Sweetbitter” has been canceled after two seasons at Starz, a spokesperson for the premium cable channel tells TheWrap.
Based on the national bestselling novel of the same name by Stephanie Danler, “Sweetbitter” stars Ella Purnell, Tom Sturridge, Caitlin FitzGerald, Evan Jonigkeit, Eden Epstein, Jasmine Mathews, Daniyar and Paul Sparks.
The half-hour restaurant dramedy, which hails from Starz parent company Lionsgate, ended its eight-episode Season 2 run in August.
Also Read: 'Sweetbitter' Renewed by Starz for Season 2
Here’s the official description for the second, and now final, season:
What comes after being new? Tess (Purnell) has the job, and she’s ready to invest in it. She’s all in, but soon realizes she won’t survive at the restaurant if she doesn’t play the game. Tess finds her appetite awakened. She’s starving for knowledge but investing in this life means more than knowing the difference between wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Tess discovers that knowledge alone is not enough: she needs to be able to use it, to move from her head to her body. She needs experience. Tess’s appetite carries her through a sexual awakening, a discovery of her voice, and, ultimately, a recognition of her own power. However, not everyone shares this hunger. Simone, Jake and Howard are all trapped, by both the restaurant and each other, leaving Tess to question what she wants from the restaurant, and what it wants from her.
Danler serves as creator, executive producer and writer on the series. Stuart Zicherman is showrunner and executive producer on the Plan B Entertainment production.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported that “Sweetbitter” had been canceled.
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Does ‘Frozen 2’ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
A new “Star Wars” movie may have hit theaters, but Disney’s other big sequel this holiday season, “Frozen 2,” is still going strong. The six-year wait after the first “Frozen” film doesn’t seem too have damaged the brand in any significant way, what with the sequel hitting the billion-dollar mark last weekend.
So Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven are all back in “Frozen 2” for this new adventure. The original “Frozen” was groundbreaking for how it reinvented the Disney princess template for the 21st Century, giving its two heroines a sense of real agency and establishing a strong relationship between two women that’s rarely seen on screen. And of course, the track “Let It Go” was so huge it became an instant Disney classic. Idina Menzel’s performance of the sweeping, Broadway-esque ballad even won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Whether “Frozen 2” can match the original with its songs, animation or humor for a new film is for the fans to debate, and the film is a box office smash with young audiences all the same. The question is whether your children will patiently be up for just a little bit more “Frozen” after the credits start to roll. So, should you stick around?
Also Read: 'Frozen II' Film Review: Elsa Belts Again in Entertaining, Unnecessary Sequel
Yes, “Frozen 2” does have a brief post-credits scene at the end of the film. During the credits however, you’ll hear three alternate takes on some of the film’s original songs. First, we;ve got Panic! at the Disco performing one of Elsa’s big numbers, “Into the Unknown.” Next, Kacey Musgraves sings an acoustic version of “All Is Found,” which is initially heard at the very start of the film as performed by Evan Rachel Wood as a lullaby to the young Anna and Elsa. Finally, Weezer give their take on “Lost in the Woods,” the big, comedic rock ballad that Kristoff sings midway through the movie.
But on to that post-credits scene! And keep in mind, there are SPOILERS here for “Frozen 2” if you have yet to see the film. Olaf (Josh Gad) has a great gag during the movie where he rattles off a quick recap of how they got here. He pantomimes and acts out all the most famous moments from the first “Frozen,” all building up to the explanation of why Anna and Elsa are now exploring a hidden, enchanted forest outside of Arendelle.
During the post-credits scene however, he recaps the remaining events of the movie you just watched. He says he was right all along about his theory that “water has memory,” a recurring theme of the film, and he assures the audience that yes, he’s still alive. It’s a tragically sad moment when Olaf briefly melts away in one scene after Elsa becomes trapped in ice, but she uses her magic to revive him for a happy ending. “I live, and so do you,” Olaf says to the camera. The camera then cuts to a captive audience of the massive snow monster from the first film and hundreds of other baby snowmen all listening intently to Olaf’s story.
Also Read: 'Frozen II' on Track for $100 Million-Plus Opening, Biggest for Animated Film Outside of Summer
“Frozen 2” is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, and Kirsten Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad all returned to the voice cast. The film’s newcomers are Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K. Brown, Jason Segel, Martha Plimpton, Ciarán Hinds, Rachel Matthews and Alfred Molina. Critics have been somewhat more muted on the new “Frozen,” as the film has a 76 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the original’s 90 percent.
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Does ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
Both “Jumanji: The Next Level” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” are in theaters now, bringing with them the sequel to 2017’s very surprisingly lively box office battle. Those films’ predecessors faced off two years ago during the holidays, and somehow managed to get close to $1 billion at the worldwide box office despite going directly up against Disney’s juggernaut.
This time around, the new “Jumanji” flick got a head start by opening a week ahead of its “Star Wars” competition, but we’ll see how well its box office take can hold up against the increasingly dominant Disney juggernaut. It’s off to a good start, having just taken the box office crown from “Frozen 2.”
Unless the new film straight up bombs, which is unlikely, it looks like this franchise will be with us for a while. Which begs the question: does “Jumanji: The Next Level” follow in the footsteps of so many franchise movies the past few years by teasing the future of the series with an extra scene during or after the credits? Does this movie have a mid- or post-credits scene?
The answer is yes — there is a bonus scene, which comes fairly early in the credits. There is not, however, anything extra at the very end of the credits.
From this point on, we’re gonna do some spoiler talk. Specifically, we’re going to tell you what’s in the extra scene.
Also Read: 'Jumanji: The Next Level' Film Review: Second Go-Round Offers Some Familiar Fun
The movie ends with the friends sitting at Nora’s cafe, after they just completed another round in the game. At the beginning of the film, Spencer’s mom, played by Marin Hinkle, says she’s waiting for someone to come repair the heater that of course is broken during the cold winter months. He never shows up — that is, until after the credits have started rolling. And it’s none other than Lamorne Morris, who has worked with director Jake Kasdan on “New Girl.”
He comes to fix the broken heater, and is led into the basement do start the repair. There, he sees the broken game console. He’s an avid gamer, he explains, so he is drawn to the console.
Fade to where the gang is sitting at the cafe, and a stampede of ostriches runs past them. The ostriches were a big part of the game this time around — so needless to say, Morris’ character might’ve reopened the portal once again.
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Whether Kasdan is leaving it up to you to decide what happens, or whether this means we can expect a third film (or fourth, should you count the original “Jumanji” starring Robin Williams), is left totally open-ended.
“It felt to me that that gave us both a jumping off point for a cool movie we’d want to see, and also, if that didn’t happen, I would be comfortable with the story ending there,” Kasdan tells TheWrap. “Because once again, while I thought it was worth it to seed an idea, I also thought that it was really important that this movie finish itself, and that we get to the end of the story we’re telling.”
So there you have it, folks. Just stay seated.
“Jumanji: The Next Level” stars Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Awkwafina, and will hit theaters this Friday.
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2019 Movie Franchise Tracker: Which Blockbusters Are Getting Sequels? (Photos)
Another year gone by, which means it’s time to look back at a year of Hollywood franchises — and ahead to what’s to come. Disney, as expected, cleaned house in 2019. But what about the rest? Which franchises will get sequels and which will fall by the wayside?
The Finales: Some sequels did not have designs to set up another sequel, but rather to provide closure and cash in on years of building fandom. Universal was successful in this endeavor early in the year with “Glass” and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” But the big finale of the year was, of course, “Avengers: Endgame,” the new box office king.
SEQUEL?: No, but don’t be surprised if Toothless and Iron Man return in several years for a revival attempt.
“The Lego Movie 2” ($105 million domestic/ $191 million global): Five years ago, it was considered a big dang travesty that “The Lego Movie” didn’t get an Oscar nomination. But after two spinoffs and a long wait, this sequel made less than half what the first film did. Now the rights to make movies about Legos is on the verge of shifting over to Universal.
SEQUEL?: No. Reboot? More likely.
“Happy Death Day 2U” ($28M / $64M): This slasher film embraced the ridiculousness of its premise for a much more humorous sequel. Audiences did not show up as much as hoped, but director Christopher B. Landon has said that he’s got an outline for a third film in case Jason Blum ever makes the call.
SEQUEL?: Unlikely.
“Alita: Battle Angel” ($85M / $402M):
Good news? Robert Rodriguez made the next big cult sci-fi film. The bad news? “Alita: Battle Angel” was a domestic flop at the box office, and it’s unlikely that a Disney-owned Fox will plunk down the cash for a sequel. Maybe an animated series on Disney+ someday?
SEQUEL: Unlikely.
“Captain Marvel” ($426M / $1.12B):
While not as well received among fans as some other films debuting Marvel superheroes, “Captain Marvel” was still a big hit worldwide, and her small but dramatic role in the climax of “Endgame” had fans cheering. Brie Larson and Carol Danvers will be a part of the MCU’s future, even if we don’t know exactly when we will next see her.
SEQUEL?: Yes
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” ($390M / $1.13B):
The same almost couldn’t be said for Tom Holland’s Spidey, who was nearly kicked out of the MCU after plans between Sony and Disney to renew their partnership fell through. But Peter Parker’s corporate parents made up, and we will get a sequel to Sony’s highest grossing film in studio history.
SEQUEL?: Yes.
“Shazam!” ($140M / $364M):
DC’s Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Shazam, was a moderately budgeted co-production between Warner Bros. and New Line that promised a lighter, funnier film than past DC installments. While “Endgame” curtailed its box office ceiling, it was still a win for Warner Bros., and Zachary Levi will come back for a 2022 sequel.
SEQUEL?: Yes.
“Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” ($144M / $431M):
Warner Bros. also found solid success starting a new franchise with Ryan Reynolds in “Detective Pikachu,” a film that didn’t pass the $500 million mark in the global box office, but it did break the streak of video game movie flops. Producers Legendary Pictures were so confident that they announced a sequel after the trailer came out months before release.
SEQUEL: Yes.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” ($110M / $385M): This sequel to the 2014 American “Godzilla” adaptation made less than $400 million worldwide. Warner Bros. will bring back the giant monster next year for a showdown with King Kong in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, but the release date was pushed back to November after the earlier film’s disappointing result.
SEQUEL?: Yes.
“Hellboy” ($22M / $44 M): This attempt to revive “Hellboy” by replacing Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman with David Harbour and an R rating failed to make back its $50 million budget. The good news for Lionsgate is that it didn’t take a writedown, as it only handled distribution.
SEQUEL?: No
“John Wick: Chapter 3” ($171M / $325M): Good news for Lionsgate: They have a franchise again with the “John Wick” series, which is making more at the box office with each successive installment. A fourth chapter is coming in 2021, and a spinoff is in the works as well.
SEQUEL?: Yes
“Dark Phoenix” ($65M / $243M): Fox’s “X-Men” series ended not with a bang but with a whimper, bombing so badly that it was pinned as the main reason why Fox reported a nine-digit operational loss during its first financial quarter under Disney ownership. The delayed “New Mutants” spinoff is coming next year, but the next time you see the X-Men will be in the MCU. This version is finished.
SEQUEL? No
“The Secret Life of Pets 2” ($158M / $429M):
When you hit home runs all the time, a base hit feels like a disappointment. The “Secret Life of Pets” sequel was profitable for Universal, but well-below the $875 million worldwide success enjoyed by Illumination for its predecessor. There probably won’t be a third “Pets” film, but with a “Minions” sequel on the horizon, Illumination has more than enough on its plate.
SEQUEL?: Unlikely
Disney Remakes: They may provoke a whole lot of internet grumbling, but the remakes of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” matched the global total of “Endgame” with $2.72 billion grossed worldwide between them. “Dumbo” was less successful with just $353 million grossed globally, but that can be chalked up to less nostalgia for the 1941 film on which it was based. Expect “Mulan” to keep the gravy train going.
SEQUEL?: Remakes. Remakes everywhere.
“MIB: International” ($80M / $253M): Oh, yeah, this came out, didn’t it? It’s easy to forget that Sony attempted to revive “Men in Black” without Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, but audiences had little interest, and this spinoff came and went with little fanfare. With Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson committed to another “Thor” film, this isn’t coming back.
SEQUEL?: No
“Toy Story 4” ($434M / $1.07B): Another year, another big win for Pixar. This feels like the end of the “Toy Story,” with Woody parting ways with his buddies… but that’s what we thought about “Toy Story 3,” right? For now, Pixar will shift focus to original films like “Onward” and “Soul” while continuing “Toy Story” through shorts on Disney+.
SEQUEL?: Maybe
“Hobbs & Shaw” ($173M/ $758M): Universal wasn’t counting on this “Fast & Furious” spinoff making a billion like a movie featuring Dominic Toretto would. So, with that in mind, this film was a solid success, and you can expect Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham to return now that “Hobbs & Shaw” has established itself in the minds of summer moviegoers.
SEQUEL?: Likely
Animated busts: Several attempts to launch new family-friendly franchises didn’t pan out. While “The Angry Birds Movie” did OK in 2017, its sequel made less than half the original’s global total with $146 million. STX’s two animated films, the co-produced “UglyDolls” and acquired “Playmobil: The Movie,” were dead on arrival as well.
Stephen King films:
Though they came from different studios, there was plenty of King to be had for horror fans this year. “It: Chapter Two,” while not beating the first “It”‘s horror box office record, became a success for Warner Bros. with $472 million grossed, while the vicious “Pet Sematary” grossed $112 million for Paramount. On the other hand, “Doctor Sleep” was a bust with just $70 million worldwide. But lack of interest in a “Shining” sequel won’t stop studios from mining King’s work for more adaptations.
SEQUEL?: More adaptations.
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” ($112M/ $487M):
The sequel for Angelina Jolie’s 2014 subversion of “Sleeping Beauty” took in most of its $484 million haul from overseas, but it still turned a profit for Disney. A third film has not been confirmed and wouldn’t necessarily be a hit with the way grosses dropped from the first film, but it’s up to Alan Horn and Angelina Jolie if they want to go for it.
SEQUEL?: Unlikely
“Terminator: Dark Fate” ($62M / $260M):
This is the most high-profile bomb of the year. Whether it was backlash to John Connor being offed or general apathy towards the “Terminator” series, “Dark Fate” has failed to even pass $300 million worldwide. If the return of Linda Hamilton couldn’t get fans to come, what will?
SEQUEL?: Unlikely
“Frozen II” ($372M / $1.03B): It hit $1 billion. Of course it hit $1 billion. Anna and Elsa’s arrival kicked off a new golden era of CGI filmmaking for Walt Disney Animation, and their return was met by millions of eager kids and the parents who bought them dolls in the image of the two sisters. It’s up to new WDAS creative head Jennifer Lee if she wants to make a third film or just stick to “Frozen” shorts for Disney+. Either way, kids will have plenty of Arendelle in their future.
SEQUEL?: Maybe
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (???): As of writing, the box office fate of Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams’ Skywalker Saga finale is up in the air. A billion dollars is expected, but the exact performance of this much-scrutinized movie could determine the theatrical future of “Star Wars,” which won’t return to cinemas until 2022 for a new trilogy.
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