Atlas Shrugged producers shake off critical parasites, heroically press forward with self-made sequel

Atlas Shrugged: Part I producer John Aglialoro was a man who had never accepted the creed that others had the right to stop him—except last April, when the “lemmings” and leeches swarmed the gleaming steel infrastructure of his towering monument to Ayn Rand, and dismantled it piece by piece. “Critics, you won,” Aglialoro said at the time, declaring that he would stop the motor of the would-be franchise, and go Galt on those who would oppress the creatives who power the world with their movies about underappreciated rich people and their choo-choos.

But do not underestimate such men of the mind, who would fight for the virtue of their pride, fight for the essence of that which is man, and fight for the necessary financing to make a sequel to a film that earned just under a $5 million return on a $20 million investment—financing that could be seen as an altruistic donation under the circumstances, if altruism were not something that only communists and lepers believe in. Aglialoro has announced that Atlas Shrugged: Part II will begin shooting in April with an eye on release in October, just in time to sway the next presidential election by spouting very long, awkward sentences on alloys and sneering about poor people. Maybe by then you will be ready to swear that you will never live for the sake of another man, and stop supporting your destroyers who would tell you that Atlas Shrugged is, politics aside, about as fun to watch as it is to listen to someone talk about Objectivism for 90 minutes.