After several years of studio purgatory, Joss Whedon’s long-shelved, much-anticipated horror film “The Cabin in the Woods” finally arrived before audiences at the South By Southwest Film Festival.
Nobody complained about the delay.
“It really holds up,” deadpanned Whedon after the Friday evening premiere before a rapturous, hooting crowd at Austin’s Paramount Theatre. “I would say, timeless classic.”
“The Cabin in the Woods,” which Whedon produced and co-wrote with director Drew Goddard, had been stuck in limbo after its studio, MGM, went bankrupt in 2010. It is being released by Lionsgate, opening on April 13.
The film couldn’t have played better as the opener of SXSW, a festival known for its warm receptions to edgy popcorn fare. The Oscar-nominated comedy “Bridesmaids” premiered at the festival last year.
The SXSW crowds, currently attending the film festival and its mobbed interactive section, regard Whedon as something of a geek god. The creator of the cult TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” as well as the acclaimed Web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” is beloved for his witty genre inventions.
Hundreds of fans packed a Whedon question-and-answer panel Saturday, as many more swarmed outside watching on a TV.
“I have a lot of ideas,” said the prodigious Whedon in a career-ranging talk.
Talking about “The Cabin in the Woods,” which co-stars Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, has proved challenging, since any discussion quickly leads to giving away its unpredictable plot.
The film takes a playful approach to horror film conventions. It may sound like a cliché horror setting — a remote cabin visited by five college friends — but “The Cabin in the Woods” is far stranger (and funnier) than its old-fashioned façade.
Whedon granted that “awesome” was an acceptable, spoiler-free description, and few seemed to disagree Friday night. One attendee asked if he had intended to make “the last horror film of all time.”
“Yes, that’s it for horror,” said Whedon. “Hope you like rom-coms, ’cause that’s what you’re getting.”
Whedon and Goddard (a veteran TV writer of “Buffy” and “Lost” and the film “Cloverfield” making his directorial debut) holed up in a hotel room and wrote the film over three days. Whedon said a day in which he wrote 26 pages is “a personal best.”
They wrote it shortly before Whedon made “Dr. Horrible,” and he said both came from a similar impulse to cut loose from Hollywood restrictions. He called both “ragingly ridiculous.”
Since making “The Cabin in the Woods,” Whedon has kept busy. He’s written and directed an upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and the major Marvel blockbuster, “The Avengers,” due out in May.
Whedon said that film would celebrate the comic heroes — Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and others — in a fan-boy way. He said his approach isn’t like the more self-conscious “The Dark Knight,” but compared it to “a war movie.”
“I’m not ready to be postmodern about superheroes yet,” Whedon said Saturday to warm applause.
His next project — “the next voice I’m hearing in my head,” he said — is another Web series called “Wastelanders.” Whedon called it a “dark, weird piece.”
The long list of upcoming work only reinforced the wait for “The Cabin in the Woods.” Whitford joked of Whedon and Goddard: “They won’t work with us anymore.”
New 2025 Laws Hit Hot Topics–From AI In Movies To Social Media
Name a hot topic, and chances are good there’s a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another.
Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year. Others stem from ballot measures approved by voters. Some face legal challenges.
On the entertainment and social media fronts there are several notable state laws taking effect, including:
Hollywood stars and child influencers
California, home to Hollywood and some of the largest technology companies, is seeking to rein in the artificial intelligence industry and put some parameters around social media stars. New laws seek to prevent the use of digital replicas of Hollywood actors and performers without permission and allow the estates of dead performers to sue over unauthorized AI use.
Parents who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their young influencers. A new law also allows children to sue their parents for failing to do so.
Social media limits
New social media restrictions in several states face court challenges.
A Florida law bans children under 14 from having social media accounts and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. But enforcement is being delayed because of a lawsuit filed by two associations for online companies, with a hearing scheduled for late February.
A new Tennessee law also requires parental consent for minors to open accounts on social media. NetChoice, an industry group for online businesses, is challenging the law. Another new state law requires porn websites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old. But the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult... Read More