I DO NOT WANT Justin & Wayfarer to just win.
Because why stop there?
After enduring the toxic tug-of-war during production, the calculated smear campaign (complete with receipts proving the NYT sat on their hit piece for weeks before reaching out at the last second—right before Christmas, giving JB’s team only 15 hours to comment...lol get the fck outta here), the insane legal fees they’re probably burning through, the lolwut deposition demands and the fact that they’re stuck with the movie rights to a now-cursed franchise with a lost cause for a sequel?
JB & Wayfarer deserve a do-over.
Because it'll be a complete waste of material (and 5+ years of work!), especially since the story already resonates with thousands of people, particularly DV survivors.
Call it wishful thinking (of course I don’t know the legalities), or just plain idealism for the future (because I've digested the receipts that led me to believe justice for JB will prevail)...
…but if I were to put on my sexy beanie of entitlement, and demand that JB obey all of my ideas to a tee?
He "should":
1.Sell the movie rights overseas—far away from RR’s tentacles of manipulation and BL’s dragons and flying monkeys. Take his time to carefully scout for a reputable studio outside Hollywood—one that actually respects him more than Sony ever did—so together, they can sage BL’s toxic fumes out of the project that nearly ruined his life (and many others’ from his team).
Maybe sell it somewhere, like Korea, where there is no shortage of talented storytellers—or of women who, unfortunately, know DV and discrimination all too well in their deeply patriarchal society. DV isn’t exclusive to the IEWU universe anyway—it’s real horror. Countless women (and men) around the world either endure it or hope they never will. A foreign remake could amplify the conversations and shed light on how DV affects people from different cultures.
This way, the stories will still be brought to life, instead of JB holding onto the rights that are like Horcruxes draining his spirit.
A Korean reincarnation of a Hollywood adaptation, based on a bestselling novel, that got tangled in a high-stakes controversy? That movie can sell itself across two continents simultaneously based on curiosity alone. No need to reduce it to an artificial mess of snarky one-liners, ridiculously out-of-touch wardrobe, and tone-deaf marketing. (At this point, I’d gladly welcome Subway product placements over a Ryle You Wait drink.) Their film industry may have their own issues, but based on the caliber of the films and series they're putting out there, I doubt they've got the complacency to downplay something as sensitive as DV or undermine the emotional intelligence of their audience. #WearYourFlorals
And sure, remakes usually hit a nerve among fans of the original work (because we’re used to them being shitty!)...but what if, this time, the remake can be better—because it will retain the depth JB wanted, cast actors who can actually act, and hire people who aren’t afraid of Hollywood's dragons?
Now, whose nerve will that hit?
- Remain as the director—but bring in an unproblematic co-director who also values story-telling over spectacles. Search for someone with the potential to be the Bong Joon-ho of romantic dramas. Clearly, JB has shown his capacity to collaborate for the greater good of a project, so I can only imagine what the final output could be if he's surrounded by professionals who can put artistic integrity over ego.
That way, he can redeem himself by finally staying true to his vision, while also opening global doors for another filmmaker who has the maturity to handle the story’s gravity and add societal significance.
Plus, it's his chance to prove that hurt people don’t have to hurt other people. The cycle of the lesser-known kid being terrorized by the popular kid? It ended with him and Khaleesi.
- Sleep soundly and live well afterwards. Not just because JB deserves it after enduring a period when he was pressured to pacify someone’s fragile ego with a voice memo at 2 in the fcking morning. Not just because a new foreign remake means he successfully created something that genuinely makes DV survivors feel seen...
But, I also hope he'll sleep soundly for the rest of his life, because (this is more relevant for us who prefer schadenfreude over his faith-driven do-good mindset though!) if he's got a foreign IEWU remake under his belt?
BL & RR will forever deal with the scathing comparisons. Their hijacked Frankenstein of an IEWU movie will crumble under the weight of a foreign remake—the one that actually gave justice to the story, because it was kept safe from some greedy sociopaths. What a way to say fck you to the Hollywood machine that instantly conspired to destroy him.
Plus, we all know that deep down, there’s a part of Plantation Barbie that’ll be seething—because a foreign remake means a new and more competent Lily will be cast. One who won’t rely on gullible newcomers or powerful friends to avoid fading back into the shadows of her husband's fame succeed.
TL;DR It's a slow work day and my fellow pop culture buddies are out, so I started thinking of scenarios where I can finally be interested in watching IEWU—but one without any traces of BL.