This week’s episode of Loki welcomed Jonathan Majors back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe fold for the first time since the assault allegations were leveled against him, and his turn as Victor Timely has been greeted with almost unanimous praise from all corners.
It’s a far cry from where we were just a few months ago when his name was erased from the digital, VOD, and streaming marketing of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the creative team behind the series made it clear he was never in any danger of being recast or reshot, so it was inevitable he’d edge his way back into the spotlight eventually.
However, just because the actor has been drafted back into the MCU, it doesn’t mean the entire Disney brand will have the same levels of confidence. Following its premiere at Sundance this past January where it received rave reviews and acclaim for another powerhouse central performance, Mouse House subsidiary Searchlight Pictures stepped in to acquire the distribution rights to bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams in a multi-million dollar deal, handing it an awards-friendly release date of Dec. 8.
That’s exactly seven weeks from today, but as of yet there hasn’t been so much as a teaser, never mind a full-length trailer. Under most circumstances, a prestige picture featuring one of the marquee names from cinema’s biggest franchise would be generating at least a little bit of buzz by now, but Majors being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons might explain why the film is keeping so quiet.
Should his trial finally go ahead after being delayed, then once it ends up being resolved, Magazine Dreams might end up getting a marketing push – which could be entirely dependent on how things play out.