‘Das Kanu des Manitu’: Now In Theaters – And Soon On TV On RTL And RTL+
The new movie by and with Michael “Bully” Herbig was produced with the support of RTL Deutschland.
The reviews in many media outlets were generally favorable to enthusiastic, and there was also plenty of applause on Tuesday from around 3,000 guests in ten movie theaters at the world premiere in Munich: “Das Kanu des Manitu” (Manitou’s Canoe) by and with Michael “Bully” Herbig is now showing in hundreds of theaters across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The sequel to the thus far most successful German movie, “Der Schuh des Manitu” (Manitou’s Shoe) from 2001 was produced with the support of RTL Deutschland and will celebrate its premiere in streaming on RTL+ and on free-to-air television on RTL. The exact dates will be announced later.
On August 23, RTL will show a special of the game show “Stefan & Bully Gegen irdenson Schnulli” by Michael Herbig and Stefan Raab with the subtitle “Die Show des Manitu”, in which the complete show event, matching the movie, will immerse into the world of the Wild West. In the new issue of RTL Deutschland’s “Stern” magazine, Herbig, who was also the film’s director and producer, and his co-authors and fellow actors Christian Tramitz and Rick Kavanian also talk about the development of the Western parody – also against the backdrop of social debates about the limits of comedy.
Collaboration with Native Americans
In the interview with “Stern”, Michael “Bully” Herbig also responds to opinions that accuse the 2001 film “Der Schuh des Manitu” of making fun of indigenous people and homosexuals. “We want to make everybody laugh,” said Herbig. “Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But if you look at our work over the past decades, you’ll realize that we’ve observed and imitated people closely, but we've never maliciously trashed anyone.” However, it was important to him this time to be able to cast real Apache from North America for the new film. Native Americans can therefore be seen in supporting roles and were also active behind the camera; one representative even got to read the entire script and found it incredibly funny. Apache also play an important role at the end of the film.
Surprising answers to life’s important questions
And here’s what “Das Kanu des Manitu” is all about: Abahachi, the chief of the Apache (Michael “Bully” Herbig), and his white blood brother Ranger (Christian Tramitz) are tirelessly fighting for peace and justice – but a new, up-and-coming gang is making life particularly difficult for them. They lure Abahachi and Ranger into a trap in order to get hold of the legendary “Canoe of Manitou”. Only at the last second are they rescured by their loyal companion, the lovable Greek Dimitri (Rick Kavanian), and his new assistant Mary (Jasmin Schwiers). It turns out, however, that this all was part of a big plan and only the beginning. With joint forces (and all kinds of disagreements and misunderstandings), the heroes embark on their greatest adventure yet – and find surprising answers to life’s important questions. The movie was filmed from August 26 until November 2, 2024 in Munich, Almeria, and Valencia (Spain), as well as Santa Fee, New Mexcio. Herbig, Tramitz, and Kavanian are supported by stars including Jasmin Schwiers, Jessica Schwarz, Friedrich Mücke, Daniel Zillmann, Tutty Tran, Tobias van Dieken, Pit Bukowski, Akeem van Flodrop, and Merin Sandmeyer – and not to forget the now 78-year-old Sky DuMont, who played the villain Santa Maria in “Der Schuh des Manitu” and is now celebrating his final farewell to film and TV in “Das Kanu des Manitu”.
“Real content power”
In May, Constantin Film, one of the leading film distribution and production companies in the German movie and TV market, and RTL Deutschland extended their longstanding and successful cooperation (read more about it here). The renewed framework agreement includes the exclusive exploitation rights to almost all national and international original and co-productions of Constantin Film, including “Das Kanu des Manitu”.
„Our collaboration with Constantin Film has stood for compelling stories and major cinematic experiences for years – across all screens,” Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland, commented on the extension of the strategic partnership with Constantin Film. “We’re excited to continue this success story and to offer our viewers exclusive access to the best German and international productions in the future. With the renewed partnership between RTL Deutschland and Constantin Film, we are not only securing exclusive content but also building a strong future for storytelling made in Europe. That’s what we call real content power.” Oliver Berben, CEO of Constantin Film, added: “Working with RTL Deutschland is special to me because it gives us the freedom to produce the films we truly want to make. Without the support of such a strong partner like RTL, this wouldn’t be possible. The agreement is a win for everyone: RTL Deutschland gets exclusive access to our productions, we strengthen our long-term production business, and most importantly, viewers benefit from high-quality content that is entertaining and relevant.”
Upcoming film highlights that viewers of RTL and RTL+ can look forward to – in addition to Michael “Bully” Herbig’s “Das Kanu des Manitu” – include the reboot of the comedy “Mädchen Mädchen” (cinema release: July 3), and the lavish remake of “Momo” (cinema release: October 2) directed by Christian Ditter. Productions such as “Die Ältern” (director: Sönke Wortmann), “All das Ungesagte zwischen uns – Regretting You” (director: Josh Boone), “Athos 2643” (director: David Wnendt), the reboot of “Resident Evil” (director: Zach Cregger), and the new movie by director Bora Dagtekin are also part of the cooperation. Successful films from the previous year, including Dagtekin’s box office success “Chantal im Märchenland” (2.7 million viewers) and Sönke Wortmann’s “Der Spitzname” (1 million viewers) round off the portfolio.
