Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
WIRE Buzz: More Disney flicks could skip theaters; Kevin Smith's Max Reload presses play; more
Last week, as a result of the coronavirus epidemic, Disney made the unexpected announcement that Artemis Fowl would skip its theatrical release on May 29 and go straight to Disney+. The rest of the company's big screen projects were moved to new release dates, but now it looks like some of them could follow in Fowl's footsteps.
While speaking with Barron's, Bob Iger (who recently stepped down as Mouse House CEO) talked about the possibility of other big budget films ending up as streaming exclusives.
"In terms of movies going ahead after Artemis, there may be a few more that we end up putting directly onto Disney+, but for the most part a lot of the big tentpole Disney films, we’ll simply wait for slots," he said. "In some cases, we’ve announced new ones already, but later on in the calendar."
The most obvious choice for Disney+ would be Josh Boone's The New Mutants, which was going to finally enter theaters last Friday. After so many delays, Disney has a real chance to break the internet by debuting the final X-Men film of the 20th Century Fox era on its digital streaming service.
Per Deadline, MVD Entertainment has scooped up the North American distribution rights to Max Reload and the Nether Blasters, a "gaming action-adventure film" that stars Kevin Smith.
Written and directed by the duo of Scott Conditt and Jeremy Tremp, the movie centers on a lowly video game store clerk who must save his hometown from destruction after unleashing a force of evil known as the Nether from a retro ColecoVision game. The clerk receives some much-needed help from his two best friends, Liz and Reggie, and a mysterious masked stranger.
“We are so stoked to finally be releasing Max Reload to audiences! It’s been a long and magical road making this film with some amazing people and it’s finally time to press PLAY!," Conditt and Tremp said in a statement to Deadline.
Tom Plumley, Hassie Harrison, Joey Morgan, Lukas Gage, Joseph D. Reitman, Charlie Talbert, Greg Grunberg, Lin Shaye, Martin Kove, and Wil Wheaton co-star.
“After being in Star Wars, I thought the next logical step would be to work with these master filmmakers in Phoenix, Arizona on an indie sci-fi comedy with a slant towards gaming," added Grunberg, who also serves as a producer. “I need a new agent! I love this film so much and can’t wait for the world to see it. And with the help of everyone at MVD the time is right to level up.”
Released in the early '80s, ColecoVision was one of the first-ever video game consoles.
MVD plans to release Max Reload in theaters and on VOD platforms this summer.
Need something to lift your spirits? How about a 2-minute blooper reel from the set of Supernatural's fifteenth and final season? Yeah, we knew that would get your attention.
"Please watch immediately. Thank you and you’re welcome," posted Jared Padalecki on Twitter, along with the video full of flubs from Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and guest star DJ Qualls.
Watch below:
In late March, the coronavirus pandemic delayed production on the very last episodes of The CW series.
