As 2020’s lack of a proper theatrical market led to plenty of delays for films like the Phil Lord and Chris Miller produced Connected, two choices have been presented to all films that have been heading into 2021. Those options are to either postpone until a time theaters are open at a full capacity, or sell said product to a streaming provider that would be willing to debut such a film to audiences that would rather watch at home. For those of you who have been missing the presence of Into The Spider-Verse on Netflix, the following news is going to be quite exciting, as Lord and Miller’s follow-up to that Academy Award-winning film, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, is headed straight to streaming on that particular platform.
Per an announcement on Netflix's official Twitter feed, the Sony Pictures Animation film has been acquired by Netflix for release at some point in 2021. At this point all that’s been announced is that the Michael Rianda directed project, with no concrete release date specified for the 2021 calendar. However, another big change was announced as well, as Connected received a new title in the process of being moved into the streaming-verse. Say goodbye to Connected, and say hello to The Mitchells vs. The Machines, as seen in the big announcement tweet shown below:
This big switcharoo is actually a return to form, as that was the original name this animated adventure went by, before being changed to the singular word title that definitely sounded like a product you’d find on a Best Buy shelf. And in the case of The Mitchells vs. The Machines, that product would be the virtual assistant/would-be conquerer PAL, voiced by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman. However, humanity may have an outside chance of survival, as the Mitchell family is ready to battle against the very devices they find themselves glued to in daily life.
Playing the potential saviors of humanity is an all-star cast of comedic talent, which sees Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, and Abbi Jacobson all lending their voices to The Mitchells vs. The Machines. In addition to those superstars being part of the show, late-night anarchist Eric Andre and Detroit Pistons Power forward Blake Griffin are also included in the ensemble for this exciting tale of machines gone horribly, but also hysterically wrong. So if you were hoping that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s clout as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producers is still as strong as ever, look no further than the proof you have just read.
While there’s no specific release date attached to The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ Netflix debut, it wouldn’t be all that shocking if a surprise February debut was announced in the next couple of weeks. As the deadline for eligibility for the 2021 Academy Awards requires all films in consideration to be released by February 28th, and the streaming world is used to moving at the speed of light, it would only take a couple of weeks’ notice to get those sorts of wheels in motion.
Then again, the Netflix calendar is pretty full, with Februrary continuing the streaming service’s pledge to have something new, in the worlds of both TV and film, released to the world on a weekly basis. So perhaps The Mitchells vs. The Machines will have to wait for next year’s awards cycle to compete. In either case, we now know to expect this next dose of Phil Lord and Chris Miller produced magic within the coming year, and we’ll be sure to consult our nearest virtual assistant when the time draws near.
