Living on a prayer, are we?

The year 2020 was supposed to be great for Hollywood. We had Black Widow, Mulan, A Quiet Place 2, and Wonder Woman all lined up for big releases – and that too only in the first half of the year! But then COVID-19 took over and we were all forced inside our homes.

This dystopian world has changed all prospects for the Best Actor (male and female) category. Today, Hamilton is a film – instead of a theatre play. 

But the real question is, what would Hollywood look like if the theatres were still open? If all the movie productions had not halted? And if the actors had continued movie promotions normally – unlike via Zoom video calls?

Well, here’s what front page headlines would have looked like!

Will Smith Gets an Oscar Nod

Source: Tennis World USA

Before the pandemic, the whole of Hollywood was raving about Will Smith’s performance in King Richard– even before the festive season began! Word was out that Hollywood’s favorite Will Smith has been cast as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena, sneaky pictures from the shooting were being leaked, and basically, the world was in a bit of a frenzy. But then the most unfortunate thing happened – clips from the Red Table made it to our timeline and we forgot all about his fantastic new endeavor! His bizarre relationship with his wife became the talk of the town and now even his PR team can’t control the damage.   

Ana De Armas Win The Oscar For Best Actress

Source: Daily Mail

Today we know Ana De Armas as Ben Affleck’s girlfriend. However, things could’ve been different had the pandemic not happened. Her career was blooming with the release of Knives Out! She could’ve topped it easily with the 25^th James Bond film entitled No Time To Die, and – wait for it – Blonde, an Andrew Dominik movie based on the life of Marylyn Monroe. Her performance could’ve earned raving reviews during the festival season, and by late December, audiences would’ve joined the bandwagon by lauding her for her effortless performance. She was on her way to become the Best Actress of this year with consensus!

2020 – The year of action heroines!

Source: Pinkvilla

Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, Birds of Prey, The Eternals, and The Quiet Place 2 were all set to release this year. Other excellent movies like The Old Guard and Underwater were also slated for this year. But we’re not that lucky! The pandemic took away our happiness and forced many movies to find their releases on streaming platforms instead of cinema screens.

The theatres could’ve been roaring with success of these female-lead action films! This year was all set to be a hallmark in history. On one hand, we had Scarlet Johansson and Florence Hugh teaming up to take Marvel’s name forward, and on the other hand, Gal Gadot was taking her already successful franchise one step ahead. Disney was giving us a female warrior and Charlize Theron was going to create magic once again on screen with her solid kicks and punches!

The French Dispatch is Oh-So French

Source: The Playlist 

The French Dispatch was all prepared to give us a dazzling Cannes opening! Twitter could’ve had a meltdown with every single appearance made by Timothee Chalamet – he would’ve made headlines with his eccentric suits and wavy hair. The movie is set in the era when journalism was blooming. And considering that it’s coming at a time when Trump makes everything “Fake news”, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Anyway, the release date for this star-studded Wes Anderson movie has now been postponed.

Christopher Nolan Saves Cinema

Source: IndieWire

The Press would’ve gone mad if Tenet had released on its original date! The movie somehow made its way into the cinema, but it’s not the same. Yes, many journalists have claimed that it is the cinema’s savior; maybe it is, but it is more likely that instead of heading towards the cinemas, the majority of the population will most likely watch it on streaming platforms.

In a normal world, critics that are currently hibernating would be busy writing reviews upon reviews for this beast, but unfortunately even Christopher Nolan can’t stop COVID-19.