This is prequel AND a sequel! Hollywood steps up, or lowers, its franchise game...
You're watching Beyond The Trailer's review of The Huntsman Winter's War!
Interestingly enough, as we argue over whether or not Star Wars has too many female leads
in a row, Snow White has been written out of her own story - although to be fair, bringing
her back would mean brining Kristen Stewart back. But hey, this gives us not one but TWO
live action fairytale movies in a single month with male leads? So remember guys, if you're
bummed us ladies got Star Wars, you've got dibs on fantasy films. Or do you...? While
the so-called "Huntsman" got a shout out in both film's titles, they really should be
calling these movies The Evil Queen - with Charlize Theron matching Angelina Jolie fabulous
snark for fabulous snark. And it just so happens that the former head of Disney Pictures, Joe
Roth, has produced both. Snow White and The Huntsman is the only live action fairytale
that Roth has produced for a studio besides Disney, and it's the only non-Disney live
action fairytale to really register with audiences. So now as Disney begins to work with other
producers to meet the growing demand for these movies, Roth is back with Universal creating
this sequel - where it's all about doubling down. Again, this is a prequel AND a sequel
- where the title card "years later" is code for insert first movie here. There are TWO
Huntsmen as Jessica Chastain appears in her first action movie and TWO evil queens - with
one bearing an uncanny resemblance to a certain icy and uber-popular Disney character...?
But while Elsa told herself to just "Let it Go", I'd imagine Emily Blunt's Freya won't
find it so easy to forgive her baby girl being burned alive. Yeah, this movie is DARK - just
like the original Brothers Grimm stories, but we'll see how mainstream audiences respond.
Rupert Sanders is not returning to direct because, y'know, his on-set affair with Stewart
cast a cloud over the first film - not to mention really ticked off his wife. But hey,
the now single Sanders has bounced back with Scarlett Johansson's upcoming Ghost in the
Shell. Taking over here is the second unit director from both that first Huntsman film
and Maleficent, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. The frenchman is also a visual effects artist,
for which he was Oscar nominated for his VFX work on...Snow White and The Huntsman! Let's
see if he has as much success in the director's chair as former production designer Robert
Stromberg did with Maleficent. He must be pretty good - or at least pretty good in a
meeting - as he's already set to direct the new Highlander movie...