Paramount Pictures announced it's sending its highly-anticipated My Little Pony film sequel to Netflix instead of theaters amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
My Little Pony's sequel was expected to hit theaters on Sept. 24, according to Variety, but will now drop on Netflix in 2021. While Hasbro’s entertainment studio Entertainment One produced and sold the film to Netflix, Hasbro will retain film distribution rights in China.
Hasbro’s equestrian-themed toy line has been the subject of several direct-to-TV films and television series, including 2017's My Little Pony: The Movie. That film featured voice work from the likes of Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, and Uzo Aduba, and brought in more than $60 million globally on a $6.5 million budget.
News about the My Little Pony move comes in the wake of several film studios opting to send their new releases to streaming services, or announcing the simultaneous release of new films in both theaters and streaming services on the same day.
Paramount also recently sold the Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall-led Coming 2 America and the Michael B. Jordan-led Without Remorse to Amazon Prime Video. Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was also produced by Paramount Pictures, also recently debuted on Netflix. Meanwhile, Disney moved Mulan, Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon to Disney+. Warner Bros. arranged for the studio’s 2021 theatrical slate to debut simultaneously on HBO Max.
In other My Little Pony-related news, IDW recently dropped a sequel to the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Transformers crossover, titled My Little Pony/Transformers II. The sequel finds the Decepticons using a modified Spacebridge to try and bring magic from Equestria to Cybertron but also unleashing an ancient evil in the process.
"The first crossover was about as much fun as I've had in my writing career," writer James Asmus revealed. "I am hugely delighted that we're not only doing a follow-up but getting to flip the script. In the first series, we got to tell really charming and fun stories by tossing the Autobots and Decepticons into the colorful, magical world of Equestria. But now, dragging dark magic and friendly ponies into the sci-fi world of Cybertron lets us play with brand new tones, toys, and team-ups!"
The latest installment in the My Little Pony movie franchise is being directed by Robb Cullen, Jose Ucha and Mark Fattibene. Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis will serve as producers.
Source: Variety