
The state of Hollywood filmmaking has earned the reputation that studios are running out of ideas. There are adaptations, sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, retellings, of books, video games, even films themselves. Whatever the case may be, the dial is about to hit zero, and Sony’s latest acquisition goes to show that there is nothing left.
A new report says Sony has just beat out other studios in a bidding war to make a film based on Emojis, those little icons you use when you want to express a feeling in a text whether it is on a phone or some other social media message. More on the story below.
According to Deadline, Sony beat out Warner Bros. and Paramount. The deal which reached up to seven-figures will have Sony produce an animated film based on those smiley-faces. The project will be co-written by Eric Siegel and Anthony Leondis, with the latter directing the feature.
Now you may be wondering how an absurd idea like an emoji film would even be considered by a studio head in the first place. Well, Leondis pitched the project around to studios, with storyboards for how the movie would play out. It must have been some pitch for it to be a three-way studio bidding war for a film to be based on emojis. Then again, most of us thought The LEGO Movie was a bad idea.
As for Leondis, he is known for directing Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters, and most recently completed work on B.O.O.: Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations.
Emojis aren’t just simple facial expressions, since its inception, they have evolved into foods like ramen noodles, burgers, sushi, and pizza, and drinks like coffee, soda, and beer mugs. There are also pets, planes, and bugs. Emojis have even gone multi=ethnic.
Still an entire film based simply on the messaging short hand seems like a desperate ploy to release movies. Is the film going to be like Inside Out where a happy emoji can also express sadness? And it gets worse, word is that there is another emoji film being pitched around various studios, which would force Sony to go into production as soon as possible.
[Source: Deadline]
It’s not that they’ve run out of ideas, it’s that they’re so risk averse (because they’re businesspeople, not filmmakers), they want nothing but recognizable brands.
Comment by jbird669 — July 22, 2015 @ 9:11 am