Well, it has finally happened...
DreamWorks' slate has been reconfigured. It was only a matter weeks, after we heard about layoffs and Universal's desire to restructure the studio. The shuttering of The Croods 2 came first, then the reports about DreamWorks cutting ties with the Indian unit (DDI), and then the talk of the slate being changed up...
Exhibitor Relations broke the news...
DreamWorks Animation's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 has been pushed back--March 1, 2019 instead of May 18, 2018.— Exhibitor Relations (@ERCboxoffice) December 5, 2016
Oriental DreamWorks' animated film, EVEREST, climbs into theaters September 27, 2019. Tim Johnson (HOME, OVER THE HEDGE) directs.— Exhibitor Relations (@ERCboxoffice) December 5, 2016
How To Train Your Dragon 3 has been delayed yet again...
At this point, I say "Whatever it takes, that's all that matters." Better that than cancellation, because one could argue that it could've been on the chopping block following the acquisition. The same goes for Larrikins, which curiously hasn't gotten a new date...
Yet? Is it keeping the current February 16, 2018 slot? Or is that going somewhere else?
Now we know what Oriental DreamWorks' mystery feature is, the "young girl and a yeti" story that Jill Culton (formerly of Pixar, director of Sony Animation's Open Season) pitched a while back. It will be that very Oriental DreamWorks project that was teased back at the beginning of 2015, that very mystery project. It now has a concrete release date: September 27, 2019. Culton, shockingly, isn't directing. Tim Johnson - director of DreamWorks' own Antz, Over the Hedge, and Home - will direct instead.
Some takeaways...
What's going on with Larrikins? Does that stay in 2018? Why the hush-hush? I thought that film was being "pulled back into story".
Everest was a project that I suspected would be the ODW mystery film, given the setting and the fact that it was announced rather close to all the ODW news. I assume ODW will make significantly smaller films, films that won't require $100 million+ budgets, so I can only imagine how this will look and feel.
Nothing on Shadows and Shrek 5, films that were eying 2019.
It looks like Universal will keep it down. One new Glendale-made movie will be released every calendar year. Oriental DreamWorks will probably make one every other year, so DreamWorks can still have their cake and eat it too, similar to how they outsourced Captain Underpants to Mikros. I wonder if they'll outsource to them again if that movie does well next summer.
So now from the looks of it...
Larrikins - February 16, 2018?
How To Train Your Dragon 3 - March 1, 2019
Everest - September 27, 2019
Shrek 5 - 2020?
Shadows - ??
Perhaps we'll get some more concrete info soon...
Add-on: Focus Features, being part of Comcast, moved the untitled LAIKA film previously set for 4/4/2018 to Dragon 3's old date. Good move on their part, the older date would've pitted it against Disney's A Wrinkle in Time...
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