I've been looking at the material from "Disney+ Day". Everyone's been talking about the scarcity of Star Wars material, most of it consisting of a behind the scenes video for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
The concept art looks good. Ewan McGregor looks oddly younger now than he did in 2005. I'm still suspicious of the fact that no-one is addressing whether or not James Earl Jones is on the series. Commentators hoping to stay in the good graces of Disney aren't mentioning him as though collaborating in a project to make it seem like no-one is particularly interested. James Earl Jones appeared in the Coming to America sequel last year so it seems unlikely health problems kept him from doing a voice role. It seems like delay for negotiation, if you ask me, and, just like the absence of John Williams music from the new shows, it makes me think Disney is being stingier than legacy Star Wars talent or their agents anticipated. It's going to be really lame if Obi-Wan fights Darth Vader without a mask. We already had that in 2005, when it made sense.
Something a lot of people have commented on is the lack of enthusiasm Disney seems to have for promoting The Book of Boba Fett. Ever since Robert Rodriguez directed an episode of The Mandalorian, I've suspected Jon Favreau sneaked him in. I remember Favreau saying in an interview that Rodriguez was a pinch hitter for another director who was originally scheduled to direct that episode. That's like getting Darryl Strawberry to play for Homer Simpson.
There's a reason top grade talent tends not work for Disney. Look at how Edgar Wright left Ant-Man. Disney believes in ploughing a level field rather than having a few impressive peaks and ditches. Few great directors are willing to bow to the rule of homogeneity. There've been reports now of reshoots on the only Marvel movie I've looked forward to recently, the Doctor Strange sequel, directed by Sam Raimi. I think Raimi's at a point in his career where he has to accept whatever hand he's dealt but I do hope there will be a #ReleaseTheRaimiCut campaign. He's far more deserving of it than Zack Snyder. And it might teach Disney a lesson they really need to learn. But as Mr. Gettys said to Mr. Kane, they're probably going to need more than one lesson.
JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson are both decent directors. I don't hate the sequel trilogy. But for Star Wars, the best choice from the beginning would obviously have been someone like Robert Rodriguez. Someone with a real talent for directing action and a passion for fantasy or swashbuckling. Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino might also have been ideal choices. Both would have required Disney to bend much further than they have the guts to.
Marvel series had actual teasers on Disney+ Day. I'll probably watch all of them despite the fact that I haven't worked up the energy to watch Black Widow. Somehow getting the Marvel gruel fed to me in fifty minute spoonfuls makes them seem less like a waste of time. Anyway, I retain a modicum of interest in the zeitgeist.
I find it hilarious that the crappy '90s X-Men series is getting revived. Why don't they bring back Time Trax while they're at it? Or WildC.A.T.s?
The Willow teaser is actually pretty charming and it's nice to see Warwick Davis having such good rapport with the cast.
Anyway, I remain intensely happy about The Book of Boba Fett. At least the title makes some effort to break away from the boring trend of these shows just using a character name.
No comments:
Post a Comment