You may need to buckle up for this one, as a result of it is a doozy. The long-in-the-works Pac-Man film is perhaps in bother attributable to director Justin Baldoni’s ongoing authorized battle towards Blake Energetic following accusations of misconduct through the manufacturing of 2024’s field workplace hit It Ends With Us.
The romantic drama was a field workplace hit final 12 months with $351 million earned in cinemas throughout the globe on a measly $25 million price range. However real-life drama quickly hit the success story, as co-star Blake Energetic accused director and co-lead Justin Baldoni of making and fostering a hostile work surroundings, in addition to sexual harassment. Now, that is affecting the event of Pac-Man’s big-screen debut.
The Hollywood Reporter has launched an intensive article that goes into the whys and hows surrounding each this long-gestating venture and Baldoni and Energetic’s ongoing battle. The entire factor is value a learn in the event you’re fascinated by the entire story, however we have collected the important thing Pac-Man-related factors right here.
“Based on a textual content he despatched his PR group on Aug. 18, Baldoni recommended sharing the information that he would subsequent direct a Pac-Man film, one thing he hoped would assist him transfer in the direction of the long run,” THR states. We knew he and his Wayfarer Studios had been connected to the venture since 2022, but it was unclear whether or not he’d direct the film himself. “It’s amongst at the very least a trio of initiatives that at the moment are doubtful as friction with Energetic turned from web curiosity right into a full-fledged authorized warfare.”
Bandai Namco, the rights proprietor, is but to reply to a request for remark from THR. We additionally know that Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop) was writing a script, although its present standing is unclear. Following the discharge of the online game anthology collection Secret Degree on Prime Video (now renewed for a second season) final 12 months and the inclusion of a horror-adjacent Pac-Man brief, we now have to surprise if the pitch for the film was shifting alongside these strains too. In early December, we additionally obtained the sudden announcement of a mature Metroidvania reinvention of the IP referred to as Shadow Labyrinth instantly influenced by the brief.
“No new initiatives have materialized for Wayfarer amid the Energetic battle, although the corporate is claimed to be fascinated by pursuing a brand new deal of some kind, as a present of fine religion that individuals would nonetheless love to do enterprise with them,” concludes the THR piece. For now, let’s take into account the Pac-Man film frozen however holding on for pricey life, with or with out Baldoni.
