The present state and way forward for Hollywood, in keeping with director John Landis? Not so nice. IndieWire reviews (through Deadline) that Landis had some selection in regards to the “pathetic state” of the trade. In quick, the “Animal House” and “Coming To America” director thinks Hollywood is “in chaos” because of the present WGA writers’ strike and the long-term results of the COVID-19 pandemic on film theaters. And he doesn’t suppose issues will get higher any time quickly both.
READ MORE: WGA Goes On Strike: What It Means For Hollywood
Landis made his feedback to Deadline on the Taormina Film Festival earlier this week. “Do you know it’s the first time in Hollywood history that the Directors Guild, the Writers Guild, and the IA are all united?” Landis mentioned. “The film industry is in chaos, and I hope the audience comes back to theaters.” While the Writers Guilt continues its work strike resulting from negotiating fairer wages for its members, the Directors Guilt has a eal with the AMPTP to keep away from an analogous strike. But a Screen Actors Guilt strike isn’t out of the query and will occur imminently if new contract negotiations go poorly.
But Landis has one other offender for the present woes that ail the movie trade: streaming platforms. “The sentiment really is the sorrow for the pathetic state the business is in. You know, between streaming and the pandemic, it was like a stake through the heart,” Landis continued. “It really hurts the business and continues to do so. And there’s the strike now. The streamers really are the bad guys.”
Is the rise of streaming actually accountable for Hollywood’s present state? Here’s Landis’ take. “Motion pictures are meant to be seen in a large house, cinema, a big theater, on a big screen, with good sound and as many people as possible because it’s a communal experience,” the director continued. In his thoughts, streaming takes away essential elements of the film-watching expertise, and the outcome? Less individuals are going to the theater.
Still, Landis acknowledges that with the WGA strike “everything is in [a] sort of limbo,” with many initiatives on maintain. That consists of a few of the filmmakers’ personal stuff, which he’s “desperate to work” on, together with two function movies and TV sequence in growth. In the imply time? Landis has an upcoming Broadway present he’s engaged on. But with the writers’ strike nonetheless ongoing and a doable SAG strike on the horizon, who’s to say when Landis will ever get behind a digital camera once more to direct?