So do you guys think that shows will be impacted this year, I feel like the 30th anniversary will feel pretty incomplete if there’s no shows at all
Logistically, the Lagoon Show doesn't present any performer proximity challenges the same way a stage show like Academy of Villains might. So from that standpoint, the only possible challenge might be guest distancing measures that would apply to the entire event anyways. Whether that happens (and how in the world it would even be enforced) is another matter entirely, & for a different thread I would imagine.
Anyways... I just thought of a maybe for the new IP that's unknown...
The Hunt
Now, while it is political, so is the Purge. HHN loved the purge so I mean, why not do the Hunt?
I'm not saying this is a good idea, I'm mostly trying to get into the mindset of those within Universal.
I don't find the two films as comparable as you feel though.
The Purge did not rely on "politics" as much for its basic plot. The dystopian social commentary was much more a factor. Likewise, The Most Dangerous Game short story (in many ways an influence on both films) wasn't inherently political just because a rich game hunter wanted to hunt down human beings for sport.
Funnily enough: the first time I watched The Hunt, I actually drew comparisons between The Hunt's couple in the gas station and Mommy & Daddy from People Under the Stairs. Each were satirical takes on gentrification in their given time periods (Though obviously Mommy & Daddy translate to much better scenes in a house, given you don't necessarily need to have a background understanding in Reagan-era sociology & economics, nor the characters' personal feelings, to appreciate Daddy in his leathery craziness popping out to scare you).
I have posited in the past that The Hunt actually winds up being an apolitical film through it's application of political stances in its characters. However, to convey those characters and scenes effectively, you would still need to address their politics in the same caricature-esque ways the movie does; this is something that HHN planners never had to do with translating characters & scenes from The Purge into a scare zone or house.
Not to mention, there just aren't enough scenes in the movie that can translate to a house period imo. There's too much open space & "big" moments in the early going, and the film morphs into more of an action flick the further into it you go.