Wonder Woman 2, Venom, The Lion King, Ico and First Man to feature IMAX sequences

APRIL 8, 2018  BY GARY COLLINSON

Marvel Studios will make history this month when Avengers: Infinity War becomes the first movie to be shot entirely in IMAX, and it looks as though we’ll be seeing plenty of filmmakers employing the format over the coming years.

According to IMAX CEO Greg Foster, Ruben Fleischer has made use of the expanded aspect ratio for parts of Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff Venom, while Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 2, Jon Favreau’s The Lion King, Gulliermo del Toro's Ico and Damien Chazelle’s First Man will all be using IMAX cameras for certain sequences.

“A key effort is the use of IMAX cameras and expanded aspect ratio, specially formatted, if you will, for IMAX releases,” said Foster (via MSN). “Our best example of this is anything related to Chris Nolan, who has perfected this strategy for both his films and our benefit. On that front, we’ve seen many in the next generation of important directors start to take advantage of our exclusive DNA for their blockbuster films. For example, Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049; and Taika Waititi, Director of Thor: Ragnarok, both leveraged IMAX technology for the first time last year. This year, our new partner, Ryan Coogler, the director behind Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, leveraged IMAX’s exclusive aspect ratio for almost an hour of footage and the results have been fantastic.”

“Our exclusive DNA is such an important component of our offering, which is why I’m thrilled to announce several pillar titles that will feature our exclusive DNA,” he continued. “First, Venom, a Marvel title from Sony, will feature select sequences with expanded aspect ratio exclusively formatted for IMAX coming this October. Secondly, Damien Chazelle, the director of La La Land is directing Universal’s First Man, the story of Neil Armstrong, which also comes out in October. Damien filmed select sequences of First Man in IMAX, which gives the space-themed film a terrific look for our cinemas. I’m also thrilled to announce that Disney’s Lion King, which comes out in July of 2019 and is directed by our longtime partner, Jon Favreau, will feature roughly 30 minutes of key sequences in our aspect ratio. A big thrilling announcement is that Sony's motion-captured/computer-animated Ico, which comes out December of 2019, will possibly have the entire film in the expanded IMAX ratio, which is great considering the fantasy-themed film and it's various fight as well as action sequences. And lastly, I’m excited to announce that Wonder Woman 2, which comes out in the second half of 2019, will be shot with IMAX film cameras in select sequences.