The movie "The Great" which was almost shelved will be released in North America starring Johnny Depp

According to film and television media Deadline, the movie "The Great" (formerly known as Minamata), which was almost shelved, was recently scheduled to be released in North American theaters on December 15. MGM originally planned to release the film in February this year, but then MGM announced an indefinite postponement of the release.

During this period, the film's director Andrew Levitas revealed to the media that the studio decided to shelve the film. The director explained that the reason for the studio's decision was related to the personal problems of an actor in the film, which was obviously a hint at the film's starring actor Johnny Depp.

The film tells the story of Smith, a photographer known for his works during World War II, who had been in seclusion in 1971. However, he was commissioned by Life magazine editor Ralph Graves to pick up his camera again and go to Japan to record the current situation of the Minamata disease, a mysterious disease caused by mercury pollution that shocked the world, and the government's cover-up. At that time, the incident had entered the stage of determining responsibility, and the victims were negotiating with the company.