It’s not often that a Disney movie flies under the radar, but “The Nutcracker And The Four Realms” has been a rather curious endeavor. Production began all the way back in October 2016, and wrapped up at the beginning of January of this year. However, the mouse house didn’t like what they had, and lost in the promotional push for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (which is probably exactly how they wanted it), was the news that Joe Johnston was going to helm a staggering thirty-two days worth of reshoots, with new material written by Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight“). Disney is not in the business of making misfires, so you can bet they will tinker with this one as long as they can, and it looks like original director Lasse Hallstrom is still involved, at least on paper.
“The film is in very good hands in London while I’m away. I will return to postproduction after the holidays,” he told THR.
Starring Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and Misty Copeland, the movie is based on the famous fairy tale and ballet, following a plucky young girl who has to embark on an adventure through the Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets, eventually meeting the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“The Nutcracker And The Four Realms” opens on November 2, 2018.