Even in some recent director swap-outs (such as Joss Whedon stepping in for Zack Snyder on Justice League or Dexter Fletcher taking over the incoming Bohemian Rhapsody from Bryan Singer), Directors Guild of America rules have mandated that the original filmmaker retains credit. But that has been changed for new Disney fantasy The Nutcracker And The Four Realms, which has Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston sharing both duties and credit.
Usually, the DGA only awards shared directing credit in the case of proven teams, such as the Russo brothers – which isn't the situation here. Instead, Hallström shot a large chunk of the movie, then wasn't available for re-shoots featuring new material written by Tom McCarthy and additional effects, so Johnston was brought in to work on that section before Hallström returned to oversee editing. And all that happened with the directors agreeing to the shared status, approaching Disney about the idea, with the studio running it past the DGA, which approved.
“It was an absolute blessing to have Joe Johnston step in when it became clear that I wouldn’t be available for reshoots,” Hallström tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Joe is the ultimate expert in visual effects and I enjoyed collaborating with him on this film."
For his part, Johnston seems equally happy. "I watched an early cut of The Nutcracker And The Four Realms, and I saw something unique and fresh," reads his statement to the trade mag. "When I was asked to direct the remaining elements, I saw an opportunity to complete Lasse's wonderful and wildly inventive vision. I know we'll both be proud of the end result."
The new movie expands on expanding on E.T.A. Hoffman's original story, The Nutcracker And The Mouse King. The tale, already famously turned into a hugely successful ballet by Tchaikovsky, follows a young girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll from her godfather one Christmas Eve. Seized with the need to see her present as the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Day, she's transported into a fantastical world rent asunder by a conflict between gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice. Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Mackenzie Foy, Richard E. Grant and Misty Copeland are among the cast for the film, due in UK cinemas on 26 October.
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