Wednesday, November 13, 2024

The Trades with Reuben Schwartz (Season 31)

 

Hello again and welcome to another edition The Trades, my annual look at the news, casting, rumors, and general happenings at the studio each season.

As LRF fully enters its thirties, it is interesting to see how things evolve and what trends emerge. For example, as major comic book adaptations seem to be winding down or hitting a sort of reset point, the studio has recently seen an uptick in attempts at forging its own original superhero stories. It was only a matter of time given how long LRF has been around but is it too little too late at this point? While Amnesiac made decent profits last season, The Vindicators and Ocean Pawn had a really tough time finding an audience. It will be interesting to see if the studio continues producing these original works or if it goes back to the comfort of the old reliable cash cows.

A more outwardly positive trend has been the continued resurgence of animation. This is something I highlighted in last season's Trades and that was followed up by a major Best Picture nomination for The Big Top. Well how have things been going in Season 31? After an abysmal first round at the box office, Scrappy was the first box office hit of the season. While Jacob Jones is the figurehead of LRF animation, Round 4 also saw the debut of two new writers to the genre in Meirad Tako and APJ. Animal Farm took a darker turn than the medium has typically seen at LRF and was warmly received. Finally, Marvin the Martian turned out to be a smash hit and perhaps set the stage for a larger entry point for the Looney Tunes into LRF canon.

It has not been the best season financially, that's for sure. The studio could stand to use more original hits that help turn a healthy profit, especially as actor salaries and budgets continue to grow. Justice League War is certainly looming on the horizon but there's not much sure things beyond that.

However, I would say there is a good amount of intrigue about the projects lined up for the second half of the season. Round 6 alone has a Dwight Gallo-penned Scarface remake, a star-studded Jack Brown-M. Night Shyamalan collaboration, and the latest erotic thriller from king of the genre, Roy Horne. It's hard not to get excited about a line-up like that. Then there are projects with question marks about performance and reception, like Meirad Tako's second Orwell adaptation of the season (Nineteen Eighty-Four, Part One) and Woody Allen's LRF debut in The Diplomat. 

With those question marks means a lot is left up in the air when it coms to awards. The clear front-runner across the board at this point is the stellar At Night All Blood is Black. Is there something lined up in the last five rounds that can top it? Then, and I know this a tired refrain at this point, how about the Best Lead and Supporting Actress categories? Who are the true contenders at this point? This is one of those seasons where a lot is left to be determined in the back half, both financially and critically. I look forward to following along the drama with you all!

No comments:

Post a Comment