Disney’s ruthless content purge may have been made for the most cynical of reasons, but the difference in opinions of the creators behind the exiled projects is already proving to be stark, with the writers of The Princess sharing the complete opposite sentiment from the showrunner of Willow.
Whereas Jon Kasdan shockingly admitted he wasn’t entirely against the idea of his legacy sequel series being cast out into the ether for an undetermined amount of time, scribes Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton aren’t exactly in the same boat in regards to their R-rated revisionist fantasy actioner as they revealed to The Wrap, with Lustig left both heartbroken and conflicted that Disney and Hulu took a chance on the film in the first place, only to place its short and long-term future in serious jeopardy.
“To their credit, they did make it. The only problem now is that it may not be available for anyone to see ever again, ever.”
Lustig would then go on to explain why it’s unlikely The Princess will even be made available on a rival streaming service or on-demand platform, which once again boils down to the Mouse House writing off its in-house exclusives to try and balance the books.
“There are a lot of people who work at the studios, including those at high levels, who do love movies. The executives who worked on The Princess genuinely wanted to make a great movie. They are probably just as disappointed as we are. There are places where costs can be cut. The idea of making a quick write-down that will show a substantial change on the balance sheet, at the expense of the future of the expression of all these artists, is a real shame.”
Joey King kicking ass in a story that’s essentially The Raid meets Rapunzel was a match made in cult favorite heaven, and that’s precisely the status The Princess was edging towards before it was given the boot. Will it ever be seen again? That remains up for debate, but it’s an indicator of how creatives are being continually cast aside as the streaming wars keep heating up.
