Paramount pictures are at it again, delaying the release of yet another cinematic blockbuster. It has been announced that production of Michael Bay’s Teenage not-so-mutant, Ninja Turtles movie has been pushed back from December 2013 to May 2014.
Reports indicate that the entire pre-production staff has been temporarily laid off, being told that the stoppage is “indefinite.” Since March, there has been significant worldwide criticism towards Bay after his announcement that the turtles would be of an alien race.
The highly popular media franchise that is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was originally a comic book series created in 1984, which means that when this movie is released, they will technically be thirty years old. Considering the fact that the target market for this movie are fans, who grew up watching the original tv series and movies in the 90’s, and asked for the action figures every Christmas, was it a great idea to change something that was such a fundamental part of the entire institution? Guess not.
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Speaking of action figures, GI Joe fans everywhere recently went into Chuck Norris mode after the announcement that the latest Paramount movie GI:Joe Retaliation, which was supposed to be released on June 29, has been pushed all the way back to March of next year. The reason? They have gone back into production to add 3D, stating that this will make the film more profitable. Well… that and the fact that the movie would have been quickly over shadowed by the highly anticipated Amazing Spiderman movie which was due for release a week later.
GI: Joe Retaliation headliners are Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. However, seeing as dreamboat Channing Tatum is now a box office hit, following the success of The Vow and 21 Jump Street, his death in the opening scenes of the movie did not bode will with test audiences.
Script rewrites and re-shoots are a more likely reason for such a lengthy delay.
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Be aware! Zombie fans may be found lurking, and roaming, around the front of Paramount Studios after the announcement that Max Brook’s World War Z has been delayed from December 2012 to June 2013, due to several production issues.
A costly 5-week re-shoot has blown the budget out to $170 million dollars, with the biggest issue being producer and star, Brad Pitt, choosing Marc Forster to direct the movie. With the lackluster Quantum of Solace being the only action film under his belt, Forster was ill-equipped to take on the challenges of creating a zombie filled apocalyptic world. He brought in several special effects people and script writers, causing a lack of clear creative direction, with several issues surrounding what the zombies would look like and how they would move.
I , like so many zombie enthusiasts keep Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide, the accompanying book to World War Z, as my Bible, on my bedside table, for the sole fact that is it provides THE most comprehensive zombie discourse, not just how to fight them but WHAT they are. If Mark Forster had actually picked UP the book, he wouldn’t be having any troubles.
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Whether it be a re-shoot due to script, crew or 3D issues or a lack of willingness to compete with big name movies and reluctant audiences, Paramount has clearly analysed their current situation and has found that although they will end out 2012 being the biggest studio with the lowest market share, they are in for a killer 2013.
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