I would say that every time Last Resort Films crosses a milestone such as 25 seasons, it feels like a big deal. Up until this point, however, this season hasn’t quite lived up to those standards. The first half of the season has been filled with sequels and adaptations but nothing that has clearly risen above the rest, critically or commercially. While there have been a few films that feel like the launching pad for new franchises (Man Made Machine, The Hammer of Thor), the seven of the season’s first fifteen releases have made a negative profit. Where that can be worrying for the studio is that the first half of the season seems more franchise-heavy than the second, meaning we could have a very unpredictable time at the box office in the months to come.
That also leaves the Best Picture field wide open, where perhaps all four nominees could come out of the second half of the season. As pointed out by Jeff Stockton, this certainly feels like Rounds 6-10 have become solidified as “awards season” here at LRF. Is there a realistic contender at this point? The same can’t be said for the acting categories, which have been gaining some steam. This first batch of releases has had a higher-than-usual amount of leading female roles, meaning that the Best Actress category could be very deep depending on how the second half goes. Even for films with more lukewarm reception, there has also been a handful of talented ensembles that could give that category some juice as well.
One of the biggest talking points of this season and beyond has been the supposed “novel curse”. The general idea is that films adapted from novels have really struggled to find an audience here at LRF. This appears to transcend any genre distinction either, as exemplified by the two flops this season — historical epic The Last of the Mohicans and horror-thriller Survive the Night. A storyline to keep an eye out in the second half of the season is whether or not this poor streak continues. We already know of six films in the upcoming rounds that are adaptations of this sort. If somehow those all lose money, then my sources tell me that the studio might really start looking closer at which properties they adapt.
Another talking point from Season 25 has been the return of Mo Buck to the feature film world. At one time, Mo was the most prolific writer in the business and was a key figure in sustaining the studio through the early years. While his film Collapse may not have hit the criteria to be considered MUST SEE, I would argue that it is likely the closest thing to a major awards contender at this point. In particular, while the Best Actress field is shaping up to be competitive, Ryan Gosling appears to be the clear frontrunner for Best Actor at this point in time.
The third major news story from the season has been the introduction of some major characters to LRF’s Marvel Universe. Until this point, we have seen most of DC’s marquee characters but Marvel has focused on more B and C tier characters given the ongoing success of the MCU. That is abundantly clear in the successful adaptation of the character Nomad. However, a lot of headlines were dedicated to the credits scene from that film which introduced Glen Powell as LRF’s Captain America. A few rounds later, Roy Horne debuted in the Marvel Universe with his take on the character Thor. The choice to go with Channing Tatum as Thor may be the most-debated casting of a character since my time at LRF. From what I hear, next season’s Comic Con is shaping up to be one of the most hotly-anticipated in quite some time with more marquee characters set to enter the fold.
Looking ahead to what’s to come, we already talked about the abundance of novel adaptations on the horizon. For what it’s worth, those do have some big name directors attached such as Steve Spielberg and George Miller. Perhaps the most anticipated comic movie of the season, The Punisher: Last Exit, comes out next round. Kazaria: Burns of the Lavita will carry the torch from The Fall Guy and Sandman as long-awaited sequels to earlier LRF projects. We don’t have much details on Believe It Or Not! but we know it is from Lon Charles, who took last season off. And the season will end with a bang (literally) as Carte Blanche marks the return of Dan Stevens as James Bond after the massive success of Risico.
I look forward to seeing how those developments unfold and any surprises along the way. As always, thanks for reading and I will see you again when it is time for the Golden Reel Awards.
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