Hoewel hij met Incredibles 2 zelf één van de succesvolste sequels van het jaar heeft gemaakt, is regisseur Brad Bird Hollywoods obsessie met vervolgfilms een beetje beu. Volgens Bird moet er meer ruimte zijn voor originele ideeën.

“Enkele van de beste films aller tijden zijn sequels,” zei hij, “en ze zijn niet gemakkelijk om te maken. Het zijn echter stilaan de enige grote en ambiteuze films die Hollywood nog bereid is om te maken. Dat is niet alleen droefwekkend, maar ook kortzichtig.”

Bird haalde het oeuvre van Christopher Nolan aan als tegenvoorbeeld. Nolan regisseerde drie succesvolle Batman-films, maar wisselde ze af met originele spektakelfilms zoals The Prestige, Inception en Interstellar. Bovendien scoorde hij vorig jaar nog een dikke hit met Dunkirk.

“Dunkirk was gebaseerd op een origineel script en was een grote film met een ambitieuze structuur,” zei Bird, “die de gebeurtenissen van één uur, één dag en één week door elkaar mengde. Net als zijn andere originele ideeën was het een box-office-succes en dat doet hopen op meer originele films.”

Volgens Bird, die zelf de originele box-office-flop Tomorrowland regisseerde, ligt het probleem gedeeltelijk bij het publiek. Zij komen namelijk niet massaal genoeg opdagen naar originele films zoals Edge of Tomorow en al helemaal niet naar Blade Runner 2049, een sequel met een pak frisse ideeën.

Some of the best films made are sequels. And yes, they ARE hard to do well. But they are getting to be the only movies of size and ambition that Hollywood will make now. And that’s not only sad, it’s shortsighted & stupid. https://t.co/wvQtmGpNgZ

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 24, 2018

Not really. Nolan ALTERNATED the Batman films with originals: THE PRESTIGE, INCEPTION, INTERSTELLAR. All of them were financially successful. https://t.co/eaIoLRfSMR

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

Probably Chris Nolan’s DUNKIRK, an original script that was not only big, but had an ambitious structure (1 hr, 1 day, 1 wk intercut). Like his other originals, DUNKIRK was a box office success, keeping hope alive for more big original films. https://t.co/jtFZxEL1QC

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 24, 2018

GREAT movie, but the audience (who asks for originality in films) failed to show up for it. If it had been released as “LIVE, DIE, REPEAT” it might’ve been the hit it should’ve been. Sadly, it was called EDGE OF TOMORROW… a terrible & bland title for a really entertaining film. https://t.co/kkla7R0fnR

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

To be clear, EDGE OF TOMORROW was a hit, but given production and advertising costs, it didn’t show the kind of profit that would encourage other studios to start gambling on originals again.
But they ARE planning a sequel…

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

100% agreed. Not an original, but I LOVE BR 2049.
However, the subject is also about financially successful big films, and neither “BLADERUNNERs” were big successes at the theatrical box office. So the studios are unlikely to be persuaded by them. https://t.co/X9pq3QAPph

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 26, 2018

Sounds good. Will do! https://t.co/BUiMgdC1Kx

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 25, 2018

All terrific films, but all low to mid-range (Arrival) budget films. What I’m talking about are films with budgets above a hundred million. Most franchise films are well over double that. https://t.co/9RxZrYRmJx

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

Well, others are trying. They’ve still got to get studios to invest. The only investment Wall Street won’t criticize a studio for making is a remake/reboot/sequel. You’ll get a pass if you lose money on one of those, but NO ONE wants to be caught losing money on an original. https://t.co/9VlxM92kGd

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

Agreed, but I absolutely LOATHE the term “untested”, which is a relatively recent way the film industry has come to refer to original content. Unlike the word “original” which is positive, “untested” sounds risky, potentially dangerous. STAR WARS was “untested” once. https://t.co/DNYJ3Ip11w

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

Very common refrain. The answer SHOULD be: because seeing a great new original film exhibited perfectly on a giant screen in a movie palace with a packed theater of 1,000 + strangers is a unique and transcendent experience. https://t.co/QWwcWgquTy

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) August 27, 2018

Bron: IndieWire