Disney’s Nutcracker: Halstrom & Johnston to Share Director Credit

Disney's Nutcracker: Halstrom & Johnston to Share Director Credit

Disney’s Nutcracker: Haltrom & Johnston to share director credit

In a rare decision by the Director’s Guild of America, Lasse Halstrom and Joe Johnston will both be receiving the “Directed by” credit in the upcoming Disney fantasy The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Halstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, A Dog’s Purpose) had completed shooting the film in January 2017, but it was announced in December that reshoots for the film featuring new material written by Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) would take place. He was not able to return for them and was replaced by Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger). However it was also announced that Halstrom would maintain control of the post-production process, and that he praised Johnston for his prior work with visual effects and the collaboration on the project.

“It was an absolute blessing to have Joe Johnston step in when it became clear that I wouldn’t be available for reshoots,” Hallstrom said in a statement to the outlet. “Joe is the ultimate expert in visual effects and I enjoyed collaborating with him on this film.”

The DGA’s rule regarding multiple directors typically holds that unless the two directors have worked together in the past or share a common vision, such as the Coen Brothers or Phil Lord and Chris Miller, only one director may earn the “Directed by” credit on a film. If a second director is brought on for reshoots, then the DGA will determine who gets the credit based on various factors including number of days both worked on the three stages of production. One recent controversial decision was Bryan Singer maintaining his credit for the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody. Though replaced by Dexter Fletcher by Fox for on-set issues, Singer was given final credit since he put more time on the film than Fletcher.

Despite having worked on the film nearly three times longer than Johnston, Halstrom was quick to offer to share the credit with Johnston and the two approached studio heads, who then brought the revised credits request to the DGA, who approved the revision in a rare decision.

In The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, all Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is set to hit theaters November 2.