One of the questions on Hollywood’s mind right now is how filmmakers are going to respond to Donald Trump’s presidency, since every White House regime change brings with it new storytelling ideas, new political archetypes, and new cultural themes. How will presidents be portrayed in movies and television for the foreseeable future? How will our overall image of America evolve in the years to come?
Believe it or not, Michael Bay seems to be clearing the path. His newly announced film Little America takes place in, according to Hollywood Reporter, “a dystopian future where a Donald Trump-like president has bankrupt America and China has called in its debts. The Asian giant now owns America and many Americans have immigrated to China looking for work.”
Also: Resist President Trump By Cranking Up Some Death Metal
The plot kicks in which a former Marine is hired by a Chinese billionaire to rescue his daughter from the American ghetto. And if that story sounds pretty similar to Escape from New York (even though the set-up is a little more akin to Escape from L.A.), that’s apparently being considered a selling point, not a critique.
And if it sounds pretty danged depressing, get this: Hollywood Reporter’s sources have called Little America more “sci-fun” than “sci-fi.” That’s an actual thing somebody said. It sounds more like a blurb on the box of a kids toy than a description of a dystopian tale about America falling into ruin, doesn’t it?
Michael Bay will be producing Little America but the director’s chair belongs to Rowan Athale, who also wrote the original screenplay. Rowan Athale’s first feature film, Wasteland (a.k.a. The Rise) was a crime drama released in 2012.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures Internationa
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
