We weren’t sure if Atlas Shrugged: Part One, a film with a paltry 11% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes which grossed less than 25% of its budget according to Box Office Mojo, was going to get to Part 2. Back in April, and within the span of just two days, John Aglialoro said he didn’t want to continue the series based on the film’s critical drubbing, and then that he’d make it anyway because of the critical drubbing. Well, he finally put his foot down. Today, on the 107th anniversary of Atlas Shrugged writer Ayn Rand’s birth, he’s made it official. Here comes Atlas Shrugged: Part Two, albeit with a new cast.
Hollywood Reporter reports that the film is set to start shooting in April, with a planned release date in October, just before the presidential election. The original film opened on a similarly political date, April 15, and performed ridiculously well in limited release but flopped upon its expansion, implying a dedicated but small core demographic of existing fans but a failure to reach outside audiences, possibly for political reasons, but just as likely because regardless it’s just not very good (or at least its marketing). It made our Worst Films of the Year list based on shoddy character development, poor acting, weak pacing and stilted dialogue alone. And even so, we admire Aglialoro’s insistence on continuing in his quest to bring Atlas Shrugged to the big screen, even if the philosophy of the film seems to be the importance of succeeding on your own merits, of which the original film had few beyond literary fealty.
That said, it’s going to be weird if they have to recast the movie mid-trilogy. We’re unclear as to how many of the original cast members won’t be returning for the follow-up, but casting announcements are expected very, very soon (possibly even today) so we’ll keep you posted.
CraveOnline will return with more Atlas Shrugged: Part Two news after we watch Moneyball again.
