Updated
Updated · National Catholic Register · Jul 22
Young Washington Scores Modest Hit, Lands 1 Sequel With Angel Studios
Updated
Updated · National Catholic Register · Jul 22

Young Washington Scores Modest Hit, Lands 1 Sequel With Angel Studios

3 articles · Updated · National Catholic Register · Jul 22

Summary

  • Jon Erwin’s Young Washington has emerged as a modest box-office hit, and Angel Studios is moving ahead with a sequel centered on the future first U.S. president.
  • Erwin’s film presents George Washington as a heroic figure while largely staying close to the historical record, though the commentary notes some embellishment and dramatic license.
  • The sequel news comes as Hollywood debates what audiences want from heroic storytelling, with revisionist takes like Napoleon and Nolan’s Odyssey drawing ideological arguments over how heroes should be portrayed.
  • Recent box-office results have been mixed across the genre: Top Gun: Maverick grossed $1.5 billion globally, while several superhero releases and Angel’s 2024 Cabrini struggled to break out.

Insights

Why do modern films keep reworking legends like Odysseus and Napoleon as burdened men instead of towering heroes?
Is Nolan’s remorseful Odysseus deepening Homer’s epic—or draining the hero of his grandeur?