Enough with the gender studies essays on Kristen Stewart, I beg of you. There has been no escaping the latest brouhaha as reports surfaced that Kristen Stewart will not be appearing in Universal’s next Snow White and the Huntsman installment, and that Rupert Sanders most probably will direct.
While the temptation here is to erroneously conflate Kristen’s so-called predicament with Meg Ryan’s own career death spiral (I’m looking at you Lainey), let’s not draw attention away from the key fact. This is not about actors and actresses, or even directors at all – it’s about money. Show BUSINESS. That means producers and distributors call the shots, however bizarrely counter-intuitive those calls may be.
If we follow the money, we find that the producing team behind Snow White and the Huntsman, Roth Films, not only delivered that box office hit for Universal, but were also behind Alice in Wonderland for Disney and are currently shepherding two major tent poles for the rival studio (Oz the Great and Powerful and Malificent). They are the flavour of the month so to speak, so much so that Universal has acquired another property for them, and they in turn are standing by their director. Why is anyone’s guess because the guy is a total hack. Nevertheless, there it is. Rupert Sanders will direct the newly acquired “90 Church” and probably the newly front burnered Huntsman spin off (my money is on a prequel). Check out the non-denial by Universal. They are following the surer path and hedging their bets by spinning off Chris Hemsworth and the Huntsman, at least until the returns come in for Breaking Dawn Part 2.
Now on to K-Stew. Her box office appeal has always been questionable. I know I certainly didn’t go to see SWATH (review) because Kristen Stewart was in it, and judging from audience reaction I wasn’t the only one who got dooped into seeing the film inspite of her presence by a fantastically dark and old school Burtonesque trailer.
So while the film made over $400 million at the box office, we really don’t know how much of that success was based on the Twilight Army showing up in force, or because of doops like me. What we do know is Twilight fans don’t usually turn up for any of their purported fave actors in non-Twilight films, Kristen Stewart included. We also know that Kristen Stewart has blood on her hands for brutally killing the fantasy imaginings of Twilight fans, forcing those crazies to face the harsh light of reality – Edward and Bella do not exist in real life and are not living happily ever after.
Chris Hemsworth has also not actually opened a film by himself per se, since Thor was a success that Marvel Fans built, but his star is undeniably on the rise. He has proven charismatic and capable. Let’s be honest, he was also the only watchable actor in the mess that was SWATH (don’t even get me started on the histrionics by Charlize).
So it really comes down to a tale of two leads – one who may be on the wane, and one who is clearly in the ascendant, and a director who is in good with producers who make money for the studio.
Make no mistake, it was precisely because an overrated actress was shoved down the throats of non-Twilight fans by a sycophantic media that people have taken a bit of satisfaction in her “fall” from grace. The media projected the hubris and her own snotty attitude helped the process along, until the stage was set for the current pile on. This is NOT a simple black/white feminist issue. Move on people, you are making me feel sorry for the girl and we can’t have that.
Also, can we maybe stop giving the talentless Mr. Sanders so much ink until he does something to prove he isn’t a blip on the radar? Geez Louise.
Entertainment Maven 