Remake of "Secret of Marco Polo" is Still Happening!

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; April 19, 2020)

     After two long days of executives deliberating, a decision has been made to move forward with the remake of Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo. Here's everything you need to know.

Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo - The Adventure Retold is Going Forward!

     Last Friday, we reported that the on-going coronavirus pandemic had put the future of Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo - The Adventure Retold (better known as the remake of "Secret of Marco Polo") into jeopardy. Today, we are pleased to report that this film, as controversial as it is, is still happening! "While the original film is highly revered by those who grew up with it," said LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew, "we also understand that certain aspects of the film are not resonating with newer fans. With this remake, we're taking precautions to respect what made the original so popular, yet are also addressing the problems of the original film." No release date has been set for the film, which is scheduled to begin production later this year as the first production to use the new studio campus.

But Why Remake this Film?

     This has been addressed in the past when the film was first announced and is the main source of controversy, but this past weekend, executives in favor of moving the project forward cited the following as reasons to remake the film.

• The depiction of India in the film has been regarded as racist by natives of India, which is something that cannot fly in today's society, especially when it comes to attracting new fans.
• With newer films like Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra striving for cultural and historical accuracy, Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo feels poorly-researched in comparison, since it does have factual errors.
• The frame rate in the original film is lower than in even the next film that was released, The Adventures of Legoman. Creating a special edition of the film will not only rub the wrong way, it will be a technological nightmare.
• Using copyrighted music has caused the film to fall into disarray online, which cannot be easily fixed in a re-edit.
• Some of the secondary characters come off as cartoon-ish compared to newer films, which led to the aforementioned racism.
• Our film quality has drastically improved over time, leading new fans to not see a nostalgic old film, but rather a comparatively poorly-done film.

There were some executives that wanted to not move forward in the fear that this remake would alienate old fans, but other executives pointed out that their lack of output did that instead. "We don't have the viewership that we had five years ago," said LEGO Studios COO Larry Burke. "Our announcement of this remake didn't drive away fans, our lack of content did. Someone didn't want to enter some contest because of certain conditions or Project U restrictions, so everyone thought we were dead and took their time elsewhere. Our complete restructuring should have happened three years earlier, but we were too little, too late, so we've basically got to start over. In some ways, remaking this film could rebound us in the same way that the original film accelerated our initial online presence. At least we have some fans that stuck around." Ultimately, it was Larry Burke's sentiments that swayed the board to go ahead with the film.

This Film's New Title Treatment is Coming Soon!

     This title treatment for Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo that we have here was originally created when the film was just going to be receiving a special edition. However, now that this film is definitely going to be remade, a new title treatment is going to be created! The film will still be titled Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, and the title will still pay homage to LEGO's Orient Expedition logo, but the logo will look more refined and polished! We'll reveal more when the appropriate time comes.

We're Overhauling Some Characters!

     As expected, since the original film has been accused of being racist, care is being taken this time around to make sure that everyone is as fairly represented as possible. "I want everyone to be a dynamic, multi-dimensional character," said Steven Lawrence, who directed the original Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, and is also directing the remake. "I understand where we were coming from originally; we were just starting out. But everyone is more sophisticated today. They want characters, not caricatures." While it was only the Indian characters that were deemed racist, Steve Lawrence wants every culture in the film, in addition to India, to be fairly represented. This has led to some drastic overhauls in personalities and character designs (though everyone retains their original names). And, best of all, this was all done without contradicting the existing canon.

In Other News, Listen to the Soundtrack for Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra!

     Everyone here at the studio feels that composer Dylan Johnson did a phenomenal job composing the score for Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra, and now, to celebrate the release of this highly-anticipated film, the entire original soundtrack is now available for your listening pleasure on our music channel! Enjoy this amazing soundtrack by Clicking Here, and don't forget to pay the YouTube Channel of this film's composer a visit by Clicking Here.

Lead Out

     While we have no official release time for this film, we are looking at a special anniversary to help promote the film in the eyes of the public! We'll keep you posted!