I like Keaton but ultimately it wasn’t worth returning. For better or worse his time in the role came to a close in 1992. There’s more power in remaining a treasured memory. Christian Bale was apparently harassed to appear in The Flash but he turned them down, and I say good on him.
The DCEU became a big mess of reshoots and off screen drama, and with box office uncertainty I question the wisdom in trying again with Gunn. The brand has a reputation now regardless of the quality of what follows, and the rapid fire release schedule creates exhaustion. Content like Blue Beetle is dime a dozen, copy and paste plotting just with someone else wearing a different looking suit.
The only interest I have here relates to Johnson if the Bond rumours have any credibility. How would a delay to Kraven impact a possible casting announcement, especially if Barbara and the team were interested to see audience feedback and box office results?
As a producer, nothing, but it’s an unspoken thing that if any group is on strike we act like everything stops. For EON at the moment that’s good, they can work on Bond 7 and people who actually care won’t be pestering.
I don’t think box office results even enter the equation for an actor to play Bond. If that were the case Brosnan in '86 and '94 and Craig in '05 wouldn’t have been looked at. “James Bond 007” on the poster is the draw…
It might be a radical change in the nature of screen art.
The gradual reduction in screen size, combined with the rise in screen portability/ubiquity, is altering the paradigm for the content that works best on them.
I agree that
but note that going to a screening of BARBIE has become an event unto itself BARBIE, including getting groups together and dressing up. We have had appointment television, and now we seem to be moving in the direction of appointment cinema.
I have seen this process happen in the theatre. The run-of-the-mill good play/classic now needs a) a movie star, e.g., Denzel Washington/Jessica Chastain, or b) strong connection to popular cultural, e.g., Harry Potter, or c) a gimmick, e.g., “Here Lies Love,” where the seats have been removed from the orchestra of the Broadway Theatre, and people can move/dance, and be part of the show. The upcoming revival of “Cabaret” (currently running in London) will combine approaches a and c.
The mid-range film and play are just not pulling in audiences, and it is affecting what is staged, and even more ominously, what we will see in the future, as risks are avoided and new talent goes unnurtured.
I fear you are correct that studios will take the wrong lessons from this success - I do notice Mattel have put out pitches for their other toys, which ignores about what the film was actually about…they weren’t light on the themes or symbolism. There’s a monologue at one point that had a stunned silence from the cinema I was in.
I have already made my pitch for Earring Magic Ken (and yes–I did buy one, and he is still in his box).
Same with mine.
The point is that BARBIE is a thorough-going work of art, where the artist let all the contradictions hang out, and invited the audience in to be part of the confusion, and possible resolution. The film succeeded in using nostalgia to address contemporary issues.
I‘m afraid these two are outliers. And the only creatives profiting from these movies are their directors, Nolan more than Gerwig, due to his proven track record.
I unfortunately agree. The ever attractive two letter IP will take precedence over what actually sold those two films - the writer/director and the actors.