First Gilmore Girls, now this? Pride goeth before the fall, Netflix!
According to Deadline, the service has just completed a deal with Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company that will see the long-awaited Crouching Tiger “sort of sequel” Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend premiere simultaneously in IMAX theatres and exclusively for streaming on Netflix. The film is slated for release on August, 28th, 2015, and is based on Silver Vase, Iron Knight, the fifth episode in Wang Du Lu’s Crane-Iron Pentalogy; the original Crouching Tiger was based on the fourth book in the series. Ang Lee will not be returning to direct the Netflix project, but Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen will both star. Yuen Wo-Ping is attached to direct a script by John Fusco (Hidalgo, and some stuff not starring Viggo Mortensen).
Although The Green Legend will be Netflix’s first released feature, it’s arguably not their most audacious ongoing project. In addition to offering the TWC catalog on demand for subscribers, the streaming service is also partnered with Harvey Weinstein and Fusco on Marco Polo, an epic of “sexual intrigue” and “skullduggery” (their pirate-lingo, not mine).
Not surprisingly, several invested parties are less than pleased by Netflix and Weinstein’s partnership. Regal’s Russ Nunley announced today that as part of the chain’s commitment to “continually enhance the moviegoing experience,” Regal will refuse to screen Green Legend:
[Regal] will not participate in an experiment where you can see the same product on screens varying from three stories tall to 3 inches wide on a smart phone. We believe the choice for truly enjoying a magnificent movie is clear.
It’s okay, Russ, I know how you feel. We are all just dust in the wind.
(via Deadline, images via Collider)
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