Clean the spittle out of your harmonica and crank up Michael Jackson‘s “Will You Be There” because a reboot of the coming-of-age animal adventure film Free Willy is preparing to jump back into theaters! That’s right, folks! Warner Bros. is developing a reimagining of the ’90s family film, with production by AGBO, Joe and Anthony Russo’s production company.
WB’s reimagined Free Willy project hails from Mary-Margaret Kunze (Miller’s Girl) and Jade Halley Bartlett (The Boroughs), who will write the screenplay for the upcoming film.
The original Free Willy follows Jesse (Jason James Richter), a rebellious 12-year-old street kid who gets caught vandalizing a local marine park. As part of his community service to clean up the park, he crosses paths with Willy, an uncooperative, depressed orca whale who was captured in the wild by trappers and separated from his family. When Jesse discovers the marine park owner’s plot to kill Willy and cash in on a $1 million insurance policy, Jesse is like, “Hell naw,” and hatches a plan to free Willy (hey-o) and help him return to the ocean.
In addition to being a massive hit with audiences, Free Willy had a knock-on effect, sparking a public outcry about real-life whales kept in captivity. Around the time of the film’s release, people discovered that Keiko, the whale who plays Willy in the movie, was living in a cramped, disgusting tank in Mexico. Millions of children wrote letters about Keiko, eventually leading to the founding of an organization that helped rehabilitate him and secure him a better habitat in Iceland. In 2022, Keiko returned to the wild.
Free Willy was so popular that the film received three sequels: Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Free Willy 3: The Rescue, and a straight-to-video reboot, Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove. There was also an animated series, based on the original concept.
Does this mean it’s time for Willy to make a cinematic comeback? It depends on who you ask. Flashy headlines will have you thinking orcas have become violent in recent years, with several orcas targeting random ships at sea. However, these reports are grossly exaggerated, and orcas remain a mostly non-aggressive species. Maybe someone from Orca PR was like, “Hey, our stock is starting to tank. Can we get another Free Willy movie in theaters to help our reputation?” You can see it, right? An orca in a business suit, making phone calls.
I also question whether younger audiences are into movies like Free Willy these days. The concept doesn’t strike me as something that would make a lot of money at the box office, but then again, what do I know? There may be a way for the writers to frame Willy’s struggle in a way that strikes a chord with families. Bleeding hearts and whatnot. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.