Tim Allen's Hollywood Revenge Couldn't Be Sweeter
12/28/2024 10:23 AM
Hollywood treated conservative Clint Eastwood like a second-class citizen this year.
Warner Bros. dumped Eastwood’s well-reviewed film, “Juror #2,” into a handful of theaters before shifting it to Max. Is that any way to treat a legend? Was it something he said … or someone he voted for?
Even liberal news outlets called the studio out for the dismissal.
The industry was far worse to Tim Allen, another out-of-the-closet conservative.
ABC canceled Allen’s “Last Man Standing” in 2017 despite robust ratings. Allen cried foul, alleging his politics helped seal his fate. The star, like his on-screen character Mike Baxter, lean to the right.
…there is nothing more dangerous, especially in this climate, than a funny, likable conservative character.
Right or wrong, the cancellation smelled funny. Suspicious. Remember, the Hollywood Blacklist 2.0 is very real.
A few years later, Disney decided to give Allen’s Buzz Lightyear a film of his own. So the Mouse Houses hired Chris Evans to give voice to the beloved “Toy Story” character in “Lightyear.”
What? Why pass over Allen, the actor who gave the character his distinctive personality?
Suspicious. Again.
“Lightyear” bombed, one of many notorious flops that revealed an industry in turmoil.
- Contraction
- Dueling strikes
- Streaming platforms hemorrhaging cash
- Growing competition from YouTube creators and video games.
Suddenly, Hollywood wanted back in the Tim Allen business.
Disney re-hired him to revive the “Santa Clause” franchise in 2022. “The Santa Clauses” ran for two successful seasons and a third remains a possibility.
That might depend on Allen’s latest project.
The comic headlines “Shifting Gears,” a new ABC sitcom co-starring Kat Dennings. The show follows Allen as he welcomes back his adult daughter (Dennings) and her teen children under his roof.
Yes, the same network that mysteriously canceled “Last Man Standing” is eager to work with Allen, at least now.
See a pattern?
The show, debuting Jan. 8, co-stars Seann William Scott, Jenna Elfman and Daryl Mitchell, who previously teamed with Allen on “Galaxy Quest.”
Allen remains a versatile, popular performer, and ABC could use the ratings. Who couldn’t?
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Perhaps the best example of Allen’s revenge tour comes courtesy of the Mouse House.
Not only will Allen be back as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story 5,” the actor’s role will be considerable. That’s according to an exclusive interview Allen gave to Collider on the subject.
“It's a very, very clever story. Do you wanna do five of these? I don't really believe it's about the money. I'm sure they want it to be a success, but that's not why they did it. Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn't have done it and they wouldn't have called me and Tom [Hanks].”
Hollywood would rather keep Allen on the professional sidelines, most likely. His populist appeal and right-leaning views make him a poor fit for studios’ liberal groupthink.
It’s still show business, though.
His ability to draw a crowd in an increasingly uncertain industry means his revenge tour is just getting started.
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