Anmol Ahuja
If you are among the ones wondering whether to stay in your seats for anything that Ang Lee or the film might throw to you in the form of a possible tease or something else, then news is that you don’t need to, since ‘Gemini Man’ doesn’t have a post-credits or mid-credits scene whatsoever. However, we always urge the audience to stay back to appreciate the work of everyone involved in the making and putting together of the film, wondrous as it is.
This also doubles up on the film’s possibility of a sequel, details regarding which you can read here. The ending of the film currently leaves no thread untied with respect to the story of Henry Brogan, an ageing elite assassin who wants to retire from the business, and Junior, his younger clone who is sent after him to bring him down. As I have stated in my other write up exploring the possibilities of a sequel for the film, the absence of a post credits scene towards the film’s end doesn’t mean that we may not see more of Smith in the same role, both as his older and younger, digitally de-aged self. It simply means that neither Ang Lee nor the makers have envisioned the film to be a part of something bigger than its own contained self.
Interestingly so, the film has been through and out of development hell multiple times, and has had a stalled production, switching between multiple hands for almost twenty years, with Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer films earlier attached to produce the project. Not earlier than three years ago did Paramount acquire the script and rights from Disney, with Bruckheimer films still attached to produce.
From a business point of view, it would seem like Paramount would acquire a twenty-year-old script only if they still saw commercial viability in it, and if not through a single film, then the potential to expand to other films in the future as well. Landing Ang Lee as director and Will Smith as star helped push the film greatly, and in the face of dwindling reviews and public engagement, one can count on the two names to attract audiences over the week for it to build up a respectable total and not crash in the face of adversity. The box office too this week seems tough, with ‘Joker’ reigning in from last week, and the family-friendly animated film ‘Addams Family’ releasing this week.
Another peculiarly interesting fact about the film is that while the film, as stated in my review, has a been there done that feel to it, fending off more style than substance, there are remarkably less films on clones in particular, as opposed to films based on a man fighting his older/younger self made possible though time travel. If this intrigues you, and you can keep your expectations in check despite the trailers setting it up as a high concept sci-fi outing more than the popcorn action flick this is, you can surely catch ‘Gemini Man’ in theatres this week while it plays.
