A brief recap of the biggest news of the film industry in the week of November 13, 2021.
BY: The DIFF Editorial Team
The Reviews Are In For Marvel Studios’Eternals(2021)
What do Harry Styles, Salma Hayek, Don Lee, Angeline Jolie, and Gemma Chan have in common? Maybe not much before, but now the’ve shared the spotlight in Eternals (2021), Chloé Zhao’s first venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though studded with today’s best names in acting to comprise a group of 10 immortal beings and their MCU peers, the film failed to achieve with profits and official reviews. However, tune into audience perceptions and you’ll hear a different story: the film was beautiful, soundtracked stunningly by Ramin Djawadi, and provided an invaluable step forward for inclusivity in the MCU. Eternals depicted the film franchise’s first ever LGBTQ+ couple, first deaf superhero (who has caused interest in learning ASL to rise), and comprised an overall diverse cast that, audiences hope, will act as the strong precedent it was eternally destined to be. —Marina
Disney Plus Day and the Streaming Wars
This past Friday was Disney Plus Day, and the streamer was chocked full of new announcements; these included an Obi Wan Kenobi show, a Spider-Man animated prequel, and a Marvel Zombies show. Despite this, the company was showing declining stocks this week as they failed to meet subscriber growth expectations. Meanwhile, as the streaming wars rage on another quarter, Netflix has risen above Disney with a 400 billion dollar evaluation. While the former has released the aforementioned slew of new content, which is the driving force in subscriber acquisition for any streaming service, Disney is also competing against themselves; some of their shows remain available on Hulu in addition to Disney+. Though the the company says it is still on track to reach its long term goals for subscriber growth, recent trends seem to suggest otherwise. —Gabriel
Warner Bros Animation Finds Director For Dr Seuss Adaptation: Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
On Thursday, Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Warner Bros Animation Group announced that John M. Chu of In the Heights (2021) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) fame will be directing the upcoming adaptation of Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Set to debut in 2027, the adaptation will be an animated musical that follows the story of Dr. Seuss’s final book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, first published in 1990. Bad Robot Productions, known for the Star Trek, Cloverfield, and Mission Impossible franchises, is set to adapt the book, with J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella serving as producers. This will be the production company’s first venture into animated filmmaking.
Warner Bros first started dealings with the Dr. Seuss Estate in 2018 and have since been in discussion for other feature film adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ work. In 2024, a film adaptation of The Cat in the Hat will hit the theaters, alongside a feature film currently titled Thing One and Thing Two. The second season of the popular Netflix series—and another joint project—Green Eggs and Ham, dropped on the streaming service on November 5th. —Cate
My Name
Looking for a psychological thriller-turned-slasher? A classic story of star-crossed lovers? Something in between? Netflix’s K-Drama My Name (2021), which débuted at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in October, doesn’t disappoint—despite a heavy workload juggling flashbacks, a slew of brutal battle scenes, and an impressive amount of narrative to get through in just eight episodes. The show, producer Kim Jin-min’s first collaboration with Netflix, stars Korean actress and model Han So-Hee known mostly for her role in The World of the Married (2020). Netflix high-ups have suggested the ongoing success of K-Dramas like Squid Game and My Name could mean more money funneled into South Korean production and development. —William
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