I’m not going to lie, it’s not always possible for me to write follow-up stories for Word on the Street posts. That’s because there’s only so much time and attention that I can devote to each movie news story that I choose to cover. However, I do try my best to provide follow-up articles when I am realistically able to write them. As the title indicates, one of these stories will relate to a piece of movie news that I talked about in the past. Like I do in all my Word on the Street posts, I will report on both stories as accurately as possible. But, only for the first one, I will share my thoughts on this latest development.

Last July, I reported that a live-action Rugrats movie was being brought to the box office by Viacom and Paramount. I also said that the movie would be released sometime in November of 2020. According to Deadline, it looks like Paramount has changed their minds. Erik Pedersen reported on November 12^th that the legendary studio removed their cinematic Rugrats project from their box office line-up. After pushing the film back to January 29^th, 2021, Paramount has decided to put a movie called Rumble in its place. As of November 2019, the studio “didn’t cite a reason for grounding the film”. When this movie was first announced, I was excited about the idea of a new Rugrats movie. But upon further reflection, I realize that maybe this decision is for the better. In a Word on the Street post from last month, when I talked about the ‘Barney’ movie, I mentioned that Dora and the Lost City of Gold made Paramount lose money. This movie, like the newly scrapped Rugrats film, was a live-action adaptation of a Nickelodeon property that was popular in decades past. It also was another reboot/remake released in 2019 that didn’t perform well at the box office. Based on these facts, it looks like Paramount cut their losses while they still had a chance. Hopefully, this encourages them to create a new film with an original and compelling story.

Here’s the link to the Deadline article I referenced in this post:

Paramount Grounds ‘Rugrats’ Movie, Moves WWE’s ‘Rumble’ Back Six Months & Titles Next ‘SpongeBob’ Pic

While looking for movie news stories, I came across one that had been reported on for the past two weeks. Because I saw very few people talking about this, I figured it would be a story worth sharing. On November 5^th, a screenwriter named Alison Spuck McNeeley revealed on her Instagram account that she was working on a Hallmark Channel movie called “A Tidy Romance”. Based on the photo’s description, it appears that Alison will not only co-write the film with who I believe is Casie Tabanou, but she will also co-executive produce the project with Jill Wagner and, I believe, her husband, Kristofer McNeeley. A week later, on November 13^th, the Twitter account, Hotline to Hallmark, and Rachael Ellenbogen, who is an entertainment reporter, announced that Jill Wagner, Victor Webster, and Brendon Zub will be starring in this film. In Rachael’s tweet, she revealed that “A Tidy Romance” will be a “Winterfest” film from Hallmark Channel! This movie is, currently, listed on Creative B.C.’s “In Production” page, as the production will end filming on November 23^rd.

Here’s the links to the references I made in this post:

• Type @alispuckmcneeley into Instagram’s search bar
• Type @HotlineHallmark into Twitter’s search bar
• Type @TheRachaelE into Twitter’s search bar
• https://www.creativebc.com/crbc-services/provincial-film-commission-services/in-production/films.php?type=tv_movie (After November 23rd, “A Tidy Romance” will be removed from Creative B.C.’s “In Production” page)

Do you think Paramount made the right decision to scrap their Rugrats project? What do you think “A Tidy Romance” could be about? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen