Get Smart looks like it will have a tag team partner. In conjunction with the film’s release, a direct to DVD project will be made that focuses on some of Get Smart’s side characters. We get the story from comingsoon.net
“Heroes” star Masi Oka and Nate Torrence, who are shooting the big-screen adaptation of Get Smart, are set to reprise their characters for a direct-to-DVD spinoff. Get Smarter: Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control is being positioned as parallel content to the feature film, and will be released domestically 10 days after Get Smart.
The story will at times cross over with the feature film and the direct-to-DVD movie might even recycle scenes from the feature. It is being put out by Warner Premiere, the new direct-to-DVD and direct-to-platform production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
If Get Smart has a lot of laughs, I can see this being very successful. People who are still buzzing about the film would gladly rent an accompanying story about delightful secondary characters. I am curious to see if this will hamper or increase repeat viewings of Get Smart in the theater.
This was done in a similar fashion with the matrix series. The movie The Animatrix was released as well as comic books and video games that were supposed to flesh out the universe for us further. Unlike the Matrix, I think the Get Smart companion DVD will feel more like additional entertainment and less like homework.
I think this type of release will always work best with comedies. Usually so many jokes are cut, you have enough for another film. Using the usual suspects, you can make maximum use of the familiar and in turn pump the overall excitement of the film. In turn this will also pump DVD sales of the movie when it is released. It will be interesting to see how this goes over, and if it is a sign of things to come.
