The ‘90s family movie franchise Free Willy is being rebooted, with Marvel directors The Russo Brothers producing the film.
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Released in 1993, Free Willy told the story of a young boy who befriends an orca whale named Willy, who lives in captivity at an ailing amusement park. When he learns that the owners plan to kill the animal for insurance money, the boy hatches a plan to release him into the wild. The film co-starred Lori Petty (Orange Is The New Black) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs). Michael Jackson wrote the theme for the film, ‘Will You Be There’, which went platinum.
The first movie was a box office hit, and led to two sequels in the late ‘90s, a cartoon series, and a straight-to-video reboot. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that a reboot is in development with The Russo Brothers’ AGBO production company. Mary-Margaret Kunze and Jade Halley Bartlett will work together on the screenplay for the film. Kunze has previously produced Marvel TV projects Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., while Bartlett directed the upcoming Netflix series Icebreaker.
Further information about the project is yet to be revealed, although the producers will be hoping for similar success to the original, which made $153.7million (£114.5million) worldwide (around $356.4million/£265.6million when adjusted for inflation). The climactic scene, where Willy jumps triumphantly to freedom, became a cultural moment that was referenced by The Simpsons among others.
The film’s orca star, Keiko, became the subject of controversy as fans of the movie appealed for him to be released from captivity. He was reintegrated into the wild between 1996 and the early 2000s. Keiko struggled to adjust to the wild, having been raised in captivity from a young aged, and died in 2003, still in semi-captivity. His release and death was a subject of a New York Times short documentary in 2013.
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