Deadline.com - June 7, 2012 EXCLUSIVE:
Studios are relying heavily on sequels this summer, but the toughest
thing to do is to introduce something new that launches a franchise. It
looks like Universal has done that with Snow White And The Huntsman. I’m
told that the studio is making all the moves that indicate another
chapter is in the offing, and on a fast track.
Universal commenced David Koepp to write the sequel script, which Deadline revealed in late April might happen. The studio is now talking with director Rupert Sanders about a return, after he made his feature directing debut on the first installment. Sanders is interested; he had a great time making the first movie. But unlike most first time directors, he doesn’t have to come back. That’s because Snow White And The Huntsman was sold in an auction by CAA that included a presentation by Sanders of how he was going to shoot the film. Sanders was part of the package, as was producer Joe Roth, and that gave the agency leverage to make a much better deal than a first timer usually gets. The filmmaker is in demand now, but he hasn’t chosen his next film and a sequel might well be it. I understand that the actors in the film have options for two sequels, so that part of the equation shouldn’t be too difficult.
Universal commenced David Koepp to write the sequel script, which Deadline revealed in late April might happen. The studio is now talking with director Rupert Sanders about a return, after he made his feature directing debut on the first installment. Sanders is interested; he had a great time making the first movie. But unlike most first time directors, he doesn’t have to come back. That’s because Snow White And The Huntsman was sold in an auction by CAA that included a presentation by Sanders of how he was going to shoot the film. Sanders was part of the package, as was producer Joe Roth, and that gave the agency leverage to make a much better deal than a first timer usually gets. The filmmaker is in demand now, but he hasn’t chosen his next film and a sequel might well be it. I understand that the actors in the film have options for two sequels, so that part of the equation shouldn’t be too difficult.
While there were plenty of potshots taken by journalists at Universal
and its executives in expectation that Snow White and the Huntsman would
suffer the same under-performing fate as Battleship, the film way
outperformed its advance tracking for a $56 million opening weekend. It
has continued to play during the week and has done $118 million worldwide
. It still needs to perform in the next few grueling weeks, considering
the film’s costs pegged at a reported $170 million, but there is an
opportunity here to make a better film with the sequel. The first film
got rushed when Relativity Media hired Julia Roberts and pressed ahead
with Mirror Mirror. Relativity burned its bridges with Universal to rush
out a film that wasn’t worth it, and Universal also hurried its film.
Paying Koepp his fat fee (his franchise scripts include Spider-Man,
Jurassic Park and Mission: Impossible) indicates the studio will try to
make the most of that opportunity, particularly with no reason to rush
this time.
Collider - June 7thWhile
Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman continues to battle for
more box office earnings, Universal is already moving forward with the
sequel. With the “origin” story in the Snow White franchise thus set
up, it only goes to follow that the next chapter will be fast-tracked.
Universal has set David Koepp (Spider-Man) to write the script.
Hopefully, the sequel will have a more cohesive storyline, better
dialogue and provide a payoff to its promises, something we discussed at
length on last week’s podcast. Sanders may or may not be back, but
stars Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth are optioned for two more
films.
Deadline reports
that Universal is anxious to move forward with the Snow White and the
Huntsman follow up. The current iteration was a film we were all
looking forward to seeing, but ended up being disappointed to varying
degrees. Partly to blame was Relativity Media’s push of their own take
on Snow White, Mirror Mirror. Then, having a debut director who cut his
teeth in commercials didn’t help, although I was impressed by the array
of visual displays at work in the film. What killed this picture were
the three disparate storylines: an epic rebellion, a fantasy romance and
a coming of age tale; none of the three came together in a unifying way
that paid off in the end. That’s unfortunate because I think we all
agreed that there was a decent story in there somewhere; it could have
been afforded more time to develop. There is an opportunity to do that
with a sequel…but is a sequel necessary? In my opinion, no; there’s not
much story left to tell and not much reason to find one. And for all of
Koepp’s hits (Mission: Impossible, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man), his more
recent misses (War of the Worlds, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) give me reason to pass.
via Robstenation
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