Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldhas become a cult classic since its release in 2010, and with the recent debut of Netflix’s new anime series,Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the franchise is being introduced to a whole new generation of viewers that may not know its based on the graphic novels created by Bryan Lee O’Malley.Edgar Wright, who directed the action comedy, and serves as executive producer on the anime series, is making the rounds to promote his new project, and has had a lot of things to say regarding Hollywood’s obsession with pumping out franchise films one after the other, and he’s also dished on his reboot ofThe Running Man, based on the Stephen King novel.
Appearingon the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast, the director of the ‘Three Flavors Cornetto’ trilogy (Shawn of the Dead,Hot Fuzz, andThe World’s End) spoke about how he feels Hollywood doesn’t give the movie-going audience a chance to breathe when it comes to blockbuster franchises releasing films so close together.
“I wish some franchises would just kind of have the sense to just take a breather and let people get excited about it again. I feel like there are certain things that I loved that I don’t want to see again, or I don’t want to see them again for a long time.”
While Wright didn’t specifically mention the MCU, it’s easy to tell from his comments that his greatest frustration lies with studios announcing the release dates ofnumerous films and TV shows at once. The director ofLast Night in Sohothinks the likes of Marvel Studios should take a step back lest they ruin a good thing.
“One of the problems with film franchises is sometimes when they announce — I’m not mentioning any names or anything — when they announce like massive slates of films and TV shows…there’s a danger of killing the golden goose.”
Edgar Wright burst onto the movie scene in 1995 with the British comedy film,A Fistful of Fingers.He wouldn’t direct another feature film until 2004’sShaun of the Dead, and pointed to James Bond as an example of a legacy franchise that gets it right.
“They’re pretty smart actually because they’re willing to kind of put a pause on things to build anticipation. They are the exception. They are smart enough to put the brakes on and build anticipation so you’ll be excited for the next one. I think one of the problems now is that I wish some films and series that people would understand it’s ok to take a break and build anticipation.”
Related:Simon Pegg Declares The World’s End His Favorite Movie in the Cornetto Trilogy
Edgar Wright Says His Reboot of The Running Man Will Be a Faithful Adaptation of the Book
The Running Man
First announced back in 2021, a new version of the 1987 cult classic dystopian action movie,The Running Man,is in the works. Based on the novel by Stephen King (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), the original film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was met with mixed reviews upon its release, with King distancing himself from the project because of how much it deviated from his original story. Wright, who is set to direct the new film, is currently developing the script along with co-writer Michael Bacall, and spoke about how he wants his version to adhere more to the source material.
“In terms of things that I’ve been, like, The Running Man, which is something that is in active development. Why is that interesting to me? It’s like, I like the film but I like the book more, and they didn’t really adapt the book. Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t like the book at all!’ And I think, ‘Nobody’s done that book.’ So when that came up, I was thinking, and Simon Kinberg says, ‘Do you have any interest in The Running Man?’ I said, ‘You know what? I’ve often thought that that book is something crying out to be adapted.’ Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy! But it’s something that we are working on, yes. I’ll tell you that much.”
Though Paramount Pictures has yet to confirm thatThe Running Manis officially in development, with Edgar Wright attached and currently working on the script, a formal announcement will likely come sooner rather than later. You can check out Edgar Wright’s full appearance on the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast below.
