As callous and cold as it sounds, you can’t help but be reminded of the Queen hit “Another One Bites The Dust” when you read the latest news about the theatrical release schedule. It seems as if every week, at least one or two major films leave their current spot on the schedule and are either delayed for months or moved straight to streaming. And with each announcement, the hope that the theatrical exhibition business will ever recover is diminished further. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about the highly-anticipated action thriller, “Without Remorse,” starring Michael B. Jordan.
According to a recent report, the forthcoming Michael B. Jordan-starring Tom Clancy adaptation, “Without Remorse,” has been removed from Paramount’s forthcoming theatrical schedule. Initially planned for an October release, the film was delayed until February 2021, but it has now been undated. And before you think that this is news that doesn’t shock or surprise you, well there is an added wrinkle in the THR report that should scare theater owners.
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You see, not only is Paramount removing the film from the schedule, but the studio is reportedly forgoing plans to reschedule the film and will instead sell the distribution rights to Amazon. Ouch. That adds to the recent trend of films skipping theaters altogether and arriving directly on streaming, as Paramount and other studios go for the guaranteed money from a streamer versus trying to bet on the recovery of the theatrical business.
And this is also especially damning considering “Without Remorse,” in particular. When Jordan signed on to star in and produce the Tom Clancy adaptation, the film was being positioned as the first of a potential franchise. It’s unclear what this potential deal means for the future of the franchise, if this becomes an Amazon release. Will the streamer make another film if the first does well? Will Paramount regret selling themselves short by ditching the feature in a time of uncertainty? And obviously, what does Michael B. Jordan think about a big-budget feature that he hoped would spawn a series of films being sent to a streaming fate?
These are all questions we have no answers to, at least not yet. But in the meantime, definitely don’t make plans for “Without Remorse” arriving in theaters. This might be a date night that you’ll want to stay indoors for.