2020-04-01_Total_Film

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And then there was Mulan, whose

release was postponed just hours after

director Niki Caro and members of her

cast attended the film’s European

premiere in London. Disney put back

X-Men spin-off Ma^G^pFnmZgml and

horror thriller Antlers at the same time,

citing “an abundance of caution” as

the motive. “Given the current ever-

shifting circumstances we are all

experiencing, we have to postpone the

worldwide release of Mulan for now,”

said Caro, whose live-action re-telling

of Disney’s 1998 animation was meant

to open in cinemas at the end of March.

“Our hearts are with everyone the

world over who is affected by this virus

and we hope that Mulan’s fighting spirit

will continue to inspire those who are

working so hard to keep us all safe.”

TF’s current cover film,;eZ\dPb]hp% was

also postponed to a future date “in light

of new CDC guidelines”. The Secret

Garden, Marc Munden’s new reading of

the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, also

had its opening shifted from April to

August, with distributor StudioCanal

admitting it had concerns about

releasing it during “a potentially

high-risk period.”

At the time of writing, it was

uncertain whether any blockbusters

currently dated for summer would still

open as planned, or whether they too

would seek a softer place to land

(big-hitters on the horizon include:

Wonder Woman 1984, 5 June;<Zg]rfZg,

12 June; ?k^^@nr, 1 July; Tenet and Top

Gun, 17 July). Just as Total Film went to

press, it was announced that this year’s

edition of the prestigious Cannes Film

Festival would be postponed. It was not

a decision taken lightly (or quickly).

Organisers were still reportedly

considering “several options”, including

possibly delaying the fest until later in

the summer, depending on how the

crisis develops.

Although Cannes has hit the brakes,

it is in great company. The coronavirus

epidemic has already put paid to the

Tribeca Film Festival in New York, SXSW

in Texas and the CinemaCon trade fair in

Las Vegas, not to mention a slew of

smaller festivals in Belfast, Istanbul,

Prague and Beverly Hills. Beijing, Hong

Kong, Miami and Guadalajara were

among other major cities compelled to

postpone or curtail their film festivals

In a matter of days, tentpoles were

dropping like ninepins. A Quiet Place Part

II had already had its premiere in New

York when Paramount made the decision

to delay it until such a time when it could

claim to have “a better understanding of

the impact of this pandemic.” (“One of

the things I’m proudest of is that people

have said our movie is one you have to

see together,” wrote actor-director John

Krasinski. “Well, due to the ever-

changing circumstances of what’s going

on in the world around us, now is clearly

not the time to do that.”) Fast & Furious 9

• whose immediate predecessor, 2019’s
  Ah[[lLaZp, had revolved around the
  dispersal of a lethal pathogen – was put
  back by a whopping 11 months,
  swapping a berth this May for one in
  April 2021. “While we know there is
  disappointment in having to wait a little
  while longer,” its producers told fans,
  “this move is made with the safety of
  everyone as our foremost consideration.
  Moving [the film] will allow our global
  family to experience our new chapter
  together. We’ll see you next spring.”

‘Our hearts are with

everyone the world over

who is affected’ Niki Caro

GAMESRADARCOM/TOTALFILM

CORONAVIRUS

APRIL 2020 | TOTAL FILM