A film can have the perfect script, the perfect set, or the perfect actor, but without the right director, it will ultimately flop. Believe it or not, this is a belief that has been tested over and over again, and has been the reason why many supposed surefire films died in the water, while other unassuming stories became household names.
With that in mind, we’re incredibly thankful that two visionary directors are helming the following two highly-anticipated films. Featuring an exciting reboot and a classic retelling, here’s our report on what’s happening in the world of cinema.
Robert Eggers To Bring “A Christmas Carol” To Life; Willem Dafoe May Be Lead Actor
Following the successful Christmas release of “Nosferatu”, director Robert Eggers is looking to scare and terrorise folks again, namely the greedy rich, with another holiday film, one that is more apt for the season. As per Deadline’s report, Eggers is working alongside Warner Bros. to bring the classic ghost story “A Christmas Carol” to the big screen. Not only that, but it has also been reported by insiders that a name is already attached to the project and is set to play the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge, one Willem Dafoe. Dafoe has been Eggers’ muse as of late, as the two have collaborated across three different films: “The Lighthouse”, “The Northman”, and “Nosferatu”.
Once again, Eggers is taking a highly popular classic story and reimagining and retelling it for a modern audience. And much like his previous works, the filmmaker is taking a hands-on approach, as he will be taking on the roles of director and script writer for the film.
For those who are unfamiliar with the original source material, “A Christmas Carol” focuses on Ebenezer Scrooge, an initially cold-hearted miser who absolutely loathes Christmas. He is then visited by his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Originally penned by legendary English fictionist Charles Dickens in 1843, the story has seen multiple reinterpretations and still persists today not only as a Christmas tale, but also as a critical piece of English literature.
When you give it enough thought, this is actually a match made in heaven. Throughout his career, Eggers has been well known for setting his films in the 1800s. Add to that his meticulous obsession with quality, authenticity, and accuracy, and it’s no surprise that period films have become his speciality. Combine that with the story’s innate supernatural elements, and you have the makings of a truly epic film. In the meantime though, we must wait for Eggers to complete his work on his current feature project “Werwulf”, which will start filming later this year.
New “Wonder Woman” Now In The Works
We are roughly a month or so away from the highly-anticipated release of the new “Superman” movie, the first major entry in DC Studios’ new DCU. But before the reimagined Kryptonian can take flight, Gunn has already broken the news about the company’s latest project in the development pipeline, and it’s about the Amazonian princess we all know and love.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn has revealed that a “Wonder Woman” movie is officially in the works. The DC CEO has gone on record saying that the “Wonder Woman” movie is “being written right now”, but added the small detail that the writing process is “slow moving, but it’s moving.”
As to how much has been written is anyone’s guess right now. Additionally, Gunn has not confirmed who is writing the script either, so it is an absolute mystery that we have to get back to at a later date. What is confirmed, as per Variety’s reporting, is that Gal Gadot will not be reprising her role due to various internal conflicts that have happened at DC. So now, it is an even bigger mystery on who Gunn and co. are eyeing for the role.
DC has taken a similar approach to Marvel and its MCU in that they are planning to release a steady stream of content, both made for streaming and the big screen, to help shape the continuity of the DC Universe across multiple forms of media. The first chapter, dubbed “Gods and Monsters”, is designed to be the foundation of the core characters that we might see in future films as well as set the tone for subsequent chapters. With other projects now underway, such as Craig Gillespie’s “Supergirl” and HBO’s “Lanterns” coming to fruition, we’re slowly seeing what they mean by “Gods and Monsters”.
