Movies

The Call of the Wild trivia: 51 facts about the new film

The Call of the Wild is a new adventure film based on a novel published in 1903. It has its premiere on Friday 21/2.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film!

The Call of the Wild is a 2020 American adventure film
It is based on the Jack London 1903 novel of the same name
And Twentieth Century Pictures’ previous 1935 film adaptation
The film is directed by Chris Sanders
It is his live-action directorial debut
The film is written by Michael Green
It stars Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Woodell
It is set in the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush
A dog named Buck is stolen from his home in California and sent to Canada, where he befriends an old man and begins a life-altering adventure
The film was released on February 21, 2020 by 20th Century Studios
It received mixed reviews from critics who praised the “entertaining action and earnest tone”
But criticized the “uncanny” CGI of the animals
In October 2017, it was announced that 20th Century Fox was developing the film adaptation of the Jack London’s 1903 novel The Call of the Wild, set in Yukon around 1890s about the Klondike Gold Rush
Which would be directed by Chris Sanders from the script by Michael Green
And would be produced by Erwin Stoff
In July 2018, Harrison Ford and Dan Stevens were cast in the film, with Ford set to star as John Thornton, who goes on the hunt for gold
The film would get heavy special effects work from MPC Montréal
In August 2018, Colin Woodell joined the cast
In September, Omar Sy and Karen Gillan were added to the cast
In October, Bradley Whitford joined the cast
With Cara Gee joining in November
Principal photography on the film began in late-September 2018 in Los Angeles
The film was not shot on location, extensive use was made of CGI
Some of it was also shot on sets in Los Angeles and some exteriors in Santa Clarita, California
All-in-all the production spent $109 million filming in California
With the final budget reaching $125–150 million by the time post wrapped
In January 2019, it was announced that John Powell will compose the film’s score
Powell previously collaborated with Sanders on the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film How to Train Your Dragon
Recording primarily took place in Los Angeles at the Newman Scoring Stage with Powell conducting a 90-piece orchestra
As well as employing a 60-voice choir for the score
Joining him are regular composers, Batu Sener and Paul Mounsey who provided additional music
The soundtrack was released digitally by Hollywood Records on February 21, 2020
All music is composed and conducted by John Powell
The film was originally going to be released on December 25, 2019
It was pushed back to February 21, 2020, following the acquisition of Fox by Disney
Accommodating the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Spies in Disguise
The film was also the first film released by the studio under the 20th Century Studios name, following its rebranding from 20th Century Fox
Coincidentally, the 1935 adaptation of the novel was the last film released under the Twentieth Century Pictures name before it merged with Fox Film to form 20th Century Fox
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Brahms: The Boy II
It is projected to gross $15 to 20 million from 3,700 theaters in its opening weekend
The film made $1 million from Thursday night previews
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 65%
Based on 119 reviews
With an average rating of 6.09/10
The website’s critics consensus reads: “It’s undermined by distracting and unnecessary CGI, but this heartwarming Call of the Wild remains a classic story, affectionately retold”
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100
Based on 40 critics
Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale
And PostTrak reported it received an average 4 out of 5 stars
With 59% of people saying they would definitely recommend it