Are You Kidding Me?! Fanboys Release to Be Postponed Again?

Posted by Michelle Graham (michelle@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 15, 2008

This is getting ridiculous. Just as Fanboys is due to make its debut onto our silver screens (the last known release date was 1/18/08, only a few days from now) , after countless months and even years of waiting around for the film to finally be finished, there’re rumors via Slashfilm that the Weinstein Co. are going to not only pull the release, but are recutting, reshooting and retelling the story… again! The original outline runs thusly: one of the group is dying with cancer, and his final wish is to see Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace before he dies, which he is due to do well before the film’s release date. So he and his friends plot to steal a copy from Skywalker Ranch. Sounds good, right?

The latest rumour? That Cancer-Boy isn’t good enough motivation for the motley crew to high-tail it over to Lucas’ estate, and instead they will undertake this for the sake of good old fashioned hi-jinks! Rather than making it for a dying friend, a nice and inspiring twist, instead the clever executives who hold the purse strings think that it should be a typical heist movie, where they go after it simply because they want it. It seems they’ve gotten a little spooked:

“Apparently the Apatow people have done research which says most people won’t laugh for 5 or 10 minutes after cancer is mentioned”

First of all, pulling the release this close to the date is just mean, not to mention bad business as all the fans who were previously interested in the movie just drift away (probably to the Cloverfield premiere, is it possible that this is all just a ploy to get out of going head to head with a monster smash?), and secondly removing the motivation of the characters would surely require massive quantities of reshoots, not to mention would be the equivilent of a failed heart transplant on a previously healthy patient. Lets hope that this is really just a rumor, or the fanbois of Fanboys are gonna be in for a rough ride.

Talking Points: Do you think that the Weinstein Company should re-cut Fanboys again?

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Dan

I don't think they should. They've gotten so many people hyped up about this film (inclucding myself) to delay it even more would be bad at the box office if you ask me. Though if people won't laugh at cancer and the film might bomb for it then in that case recut, reshoot whatever they need to do. (But please finish soon because if you make us wait another year chances are everyone may've lost interest)

Kevin Carr

uh... this isn't the first time the Weinsteins pulled all the shenanigans of diddling with release dates and recutting. Anyone remember Shoalin Soccer? And when they released Operation Stormbreaker last year, my local publicist wasn't even aware it was hitting theaters.

Marina

At this point, who the hell really cares if this is good or not? Just release the bloody thing. This wasn't going to appeal to anyone but SW fans to begin with and re-cutting it isn't going to bring in any new viewers. They should simply count their losses and put the thing out already before people just give up and stop caring about it altogether.

Robert Fure

This just shows the disconnect between the studios and the general audience. While I'm sure some cancer patients won't see the movie based on the cancer aspect (Oh wait, The Bucket List, anyone?) but people in the age range of 12-29 (The demographic of this film) laugh at anything and can differentiate fact from fiction. This is a generation that deals with everything from terrorism to sickness to politics with a sense of humor. The Weinsteins are a falling star, and those often burn up and go out in a violent death.

david

this is just ridiculous! i really didnt want to go and see cloverfield but it looks like i might have to. i would gladly laugh at cancer if it means that i dont have to wait any longer...i would have anyways but im the kind of person who giggles when AIDS is mentioned.

Kison

Name one truly good movie that ever came out of the first month of the year...

Lazarus

Bloody baffoons.

Fanboy

This better be a rumor because, I don't see the problem in laughing about cancer, just as long as one is not laughing at someone who has cancer. There is already too much grim reality surrounding that disease. Just look at the way we talk about "battling" cancer. A lighthearted and optimistic attitude would go a long way to give people hope. They don't call laughter the best medicine for no reason.

Erytery

I saw this movie in October of 2006, and they said it would come out in february. a year later its still not out. I will say this. the cut of the movie that i saw was fantastic. one of the funniest movies i have ever seen, and changing even a frame of it would be the dumbest thing they could do.

Steve

Someone should make a movie about a guy dying of cancer who, along with his friends, steals "Fanboys" so he can watch it before he dies. .

Are You Kidding Me?! Fanboys Release to Be Postponed Again?

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