RE: https://mastodon.me.uk/@UKFilmNerd/117277498524993845
If a movie studio shelves a completed film and takes a tax break, then the film belongs to the taxpayers and should be shown in theaters with all ticket proceeds going back to the government.
Edit to add a better solution by @jonathankoren: The film should be entered into the public domain and shared freely.
Also: Fuck David Zaslav.
A movie that was completed on time, under budget, and tested extremely well was shelved by Warner Bros executives who had never seen a frame of the finished film.
The WB CEO, David Zaslav, also shelved a fully completed Scooby Doo animated film and the Batgirl movie that was nearing completion. Luckily, the excellent Coyote vs Acme managed to find a release.
This is a great read.
“Keep chasing that bird!” The oral history of Coyote vs. Acme
