Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney

  • NBA’s Adam Silver On Shortlist to Replace Bob Iger as Disney’s Next CEO

    NBA’s Adam Silver On Shortlist to Replace Bob Iger as Disney’s Next CEO

    When Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney, it was known that it wasn’t going to last. Ever since he took over from Bob Chapek, he was on the path to retiring within two years once again. Fox Business announced Disney is cultivating a shortlist of viable candidates to succeed Iger but hasn’t yet nailed the one to take over just yet.

    Potential options include Dana Walden, Disney’s entertainment co-chair; Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok and founder and CEO of Candle Media; Adam Silver, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association. The list allegedly has other possible internal contenders, including Alan Bergman, Walden‘s entertainment co-chair, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Parks and Resorts, and Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN.

    Silver is an intriguing candidate who doesn’t quite share the same background as the other candidates but does have direct ties to ESPN, Disney’s flagship network, through his role as commissioner. He also has eight years of experience as president and COO of NBA Entertainment.

    One executive of a major sports franchise spoke anonymously but provided some insight:

    It’s an unusual choice since Disney is usually run by people who know the entertainment industry. But he certainly knows Disney and Iger, so it’s possible.

    Charlie Gasparino , Eleanor Terrett – Fox Business

    If selected, Silver has an uphill battle. The NBA generates $10 billion dollars in annual revenue compared to Disney’s $80 billion in 2022. However, running a professional sports league offers hands-on experience (such as management, dealing with various high-level stakeholders, and entertainment) that would lend itself well.

    Source: Fox Business

  • Disney’s ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Streaming Debut Date Revealed

    Disney’s ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Streaming Debut Date Revealed

    Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy has been set for a 2023 release for some time but had not been given a firm release date as of the studio’s latest slate update. Now the studio has revealed the release date for the live-action film along with the first trailer for the project.

    Peter Pan & Wendy, directed by David Lowery, is set to debut on April 28th on Disney Plus!

    Disney revealed a synopsis for the film via an official release:

    “Peter Pan & Wendy” introduces Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever. The film stars Jude Law (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”), Alexander Molony (“The Reluctant Landlord”), Ever Anderson (“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”), Yara Shahidi (“Grown-ish”), Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Joshua Pickering (“A Discovery of Witches”), Jacobi Jupe, Molly Parker (“House of Cards”), Alan Tudyk (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), and Jim Gaffigan (“The Jim Gaffigan Show”). “Peter Pan and Wendy” is directed by David Lowery from a screenplay by David Lowery & Toby Halbrooks (“The Green Knight”) based on the novel by J. M. Barrie and the animated film “Peter Pan.” The producer is Jim Whitaker (“Pete’s Dragon”), with Adam Borba (“A Wrinkle in Time”), Thomas M. Hammel (“Thor: Ragnarok”), and Toby Halbrooks serving as executive producers.

  • ‘Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet Joins Disney+’s ‘The Santa Clauses’

    ‘Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet Joins Disney+’s ‘The Santa Clauses’

    Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet is joining the cast of Disney+’s original series, The Santa Clauses. Stonestreet will play Magnus Antus, a 14th-century ruler aiming to take down Scott Calvin, played by Tim Allen, and reclaim the North Pole. He was known as the Mad Santa, which matches his rather cruel ambitions.

    The Santa Clauses is returning after the series captured viewers’ attention last year. It was among the top five most-watched series during Disney+’s Seasons Streaming campaign and is very likely to dominate the next HOliday season once again. Stonestreet is a great addition to the cast, as he made quite an impression with viewers during his time on Modern Family as Cam. So, he’ll likely bring the same charm to this new role and add a new iconic character to the Holidays.

    The second season promises a return to the North Pole after Santa’s retirement plans unravel. Scott Calvin will focus on training his son to take over the “family business.” Though going by this new casting, it seems that his path forward is going to remain a bumpy one as he won’t be able to leave the red suit behind any time soon.

    Fans should expect series regulars Elizabeth Mitchell, Elizabeth Dick, Austin Kane, and Devin Bright to return. Matilda Lawler will lead the slate of guest stars, including newcomer Marta Kessler who will play Olga, a feisty gnome. Reports also indicate that Tim Allen will serve as executive producer with Jack Burditt, the showrunner.

    Source: Deadline

  • Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Film Adds Zach Galifianakis

    Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Film Adds Zach Galifianakis

    Disney has been quite busy with its live-action adaptations and already has quite a few in some form of development to further capitalize on their nostalgia franchises. Dean Fleischer Camp is busy working on bringing Lilo and Stitch to life once again for Disney+, and it seems he may have already found one of its stars. It seems that Hangover star Zach Galifianakis will be joining the production by the director of Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.

    As you might guess, his role is still a mystery and it’s unclear who he might be playing. There’s a good chance he could be playing someone completely original though he would make for a good choice to play Pleakley, the loveable assistant that ends up stuck with Jumba Jookiba, who also has yet to be cast. DisInsider has pointed out that their sources heard he’s playing the character of Pleakley.

    Of course, we don’t know how close they are sticking to the original, as we’ve already heard rumblings that some aspects will get changed. It comes with the territory when you’re adapting something as iconic as a Disney animated film and want to give viewers a reason to see the new version of it. Still, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out who Galifianakis might end up playing, and the big question: who will be Lilo?

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, DisInsider

  • Disney May Return to Licensing its Films and TV Series to Rivals

    Disney May Return to Licensing its Films and TV Series to Rivals

    Disney+ was a big venture for Disney with a strong focus on creating a singular hub for everyone loving any of their properties. They went out of their way to purchase 20th Century Studios to ensure they could expand their library in a way that would allow them to do exactly that. Yet, the losses taken throughout the last few years under new management of Bob Chapek didn’t truly shape an optimistic outlook on streaming’s future.

    With the return of Bob Iger, we’re seeing some traditional directions for the company such as an increase in movies hitting theaters in future years and it seems they may be back peddling on some decisions. As part of their Disney+ venture, Disney pulled back on a variety of external licensing deals for their films and television series. This consequently added to their overall loss and made it more difficult to truly showcase the potential of streaming.

    Now, it seems they are once again exploring selling their library to their rivals by establishing new licensing deals. It’s a strategy that has worked quite well for Sony Pictures, who have actively avoided sinking their cash into building their own streaming service. They’ve managed to create a deal with Netflix and Disney+ to offer their expanding library to multiple services in a layered rollout.

    It makes sense and it might become a new standard moving forward for many of streaming services. We might not see Moon Knight or Percy Jackson on Netflix for quite some time but the various Marvel movies are likely to hit streaming services in a few years. If they play their cards right they’ll keep exclusivity rights for at least a year and then expand their offerings. It’s a double catch and very likely the future direction for the entire streaming industry. Streaming won’t go away anytime soon but the market landscape is surely going to change once again.

    Source: Bloomberg

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Director Denies Any Interference by Disney or Marvel Studios

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Director Denies Any Interference by Disney or Marvel Studios

    There has been an ever-growing distrust of studios and their handling of projects. While history does show there will always be moments when they have a hand in the trajectory of a project, it’s not always something that is done purely to worsen a project. There are moments when creatives simply have different creative visions, that drift apart like with the original Ant-Man and Doctor Strange sequel scenarios with Marvel Studios, but it’s not always the case.

    Director James Gunn is currently working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel Studios before heading over to his new job as the co-CEO of DC Studios. Everyone involved has been very open about this new future venture, and Gunn is always very open to just how things happen behind the scenes. With a certain group of people online having general distrust towards Disney, Gunn instantly denied any distrust brewing on Disney or Marvel Studios influencing his current work, or even any from the past.

    There’s always been a soft spot between online fans and Disney. Not that it is entirely unfounded, but Marvel Studios generally is a very different beast and most of its influences stretch from how the greater narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe stretches between projects. It’s a studio model they are open about, and Scott Derrickson left Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on good terms.

    The only real fallout so far was with Edgar Wright‘s Ant-Man, which mainly results from how far the MCU came along since the original project was pitched. Wright’s original vision dates before the first Iron Man dropped and it seems that adding a few scenes into the story went against his vision, leading to the fallout. Yet, Wright has also openly stated recently that they long buried the hatchet and it’s not uncommon that projects simply don’t come together.

    Warner Bros. has a far bigger history with its involvement on projects leading to some questionable results, such as the entire Justice League debacle. We still see the results of that today. Gunn goes on to highlight that interferences are commonly when uncertainty arises for producers, especially once a film or series has already been filmed and is being edited. Sometimes we barely even know if there was an issue, to begin with, outside of random rumors that come from third-hand sources. In the digital age, chaos simply creates a very different atmosphere and that is why there’s more distrust than ever before.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is Hollywood’s Most Expensive Film to Date

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is Hollywood’s Most Expensive Film to Date

    After a strong but surprisingly below-expectation opening weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water still made an impressive global $435M opening weekend. It won’t break any records but going by its hold over the weekend, it’ll likely have the legs any other James Cameron film has though just how far it’ll go remains uncertain. Still, the pressure is on as the film must make at least $2 billion to be profitable, at least that is what Cameron has shared in the past.

    We never knew exactly just how big the budget was for the film, but it turns out that it’s far more massive than any of us could’ve imagined. Even Avengers: Endgame and its multitude of big-name stars had a production budget of around $300M. The CG-heavily film has a massive budget of $460M according to a new report by Deadline. That’s quite impressive and makes sense given they also filmed the first two sequels back-to-back.

    The film’s budget is definitely impressive and there are currently no fears the film will perform incredibly well moving forward. It’s entering the holiday season where the normal day acts like a weekend. Presales factor about 20% for its post-release window and even Marvel averages around 5%. Cameron will likely do what he always does similar to what Top Gun: Maverick accomplished earlier in the year. Now, the only question remains: just how far will it go, and will it inspire Disney to go all in with Cameron‘s plans for the franchise?

    Source: Deadline

  • First ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Reactions Indicate It’s Another James Cameron Classic

    First ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Reactions Indicate It’s Another James Cameron Classic

    After a thirteen-year wait for the sequel, it sounds like audiences who fell in love with 2009’s Avatar are about to have a very happy holiday season at the movie theater. Avatar: The Way of Water premiered yesterday and those who were in attendance in London or at press screenings around the globe were allowed to take to social media to share their thoughts. In a nutshell, the film is another hit for director James Cameron.

    Our own Hunter Radesi called the film an “improvement over its predecessor” and praised the film’s incredibly “immersive” use of VFX:

    Reel Blend’s Kevin McCarthy joined Hunter in praising the use of technology to make the “most jaw-dropping immersion” he had ever seen in theaters.

    Fandango’s Erik Davis called the film “phenomenal” and “visually breathtaking.”

    Joseph Deckelmeier, who attended the World Premiere in London called it a “cinematic achievement.”

    THR’s Beatrice Verhoeven didn’t go in looking forward to it, but says the film changed her mind!

    While Scott Mantz jumped on board the VFX train, he believed the story behind the sequel wasn’t quite as good as the first and that it felt drawn out over the film’s extensive run time of 190 minutes.

    Fellow filmmaker Guillermo del Toro praised Cameron’s work on the film, saying the sequel showed the work of “a master at the peak of his powers…”

    While there was never really a doubt that the film would be a major box office draw over the holiday season, the initial word of mouth about the VFX and the overall quality of the story are sure to help Avatar: The Way of Water be one of 2022’s biggest box office draws when it hits theaters beginning December 16th!

  • Gurinder Chadha to Direct & Produce Indian Princess Movie for Disney

    Gurinder Chadha to Direct & Produce Indian Princess Movie for Disney

    Disney has brought on Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha and screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges to craft a new original musical feature that will be inspired by a dynamic princess from Indian history. Both Chadha and Berges will pen the screenplay for the film, while Chadha will direct the feature. Further details about the project are being kept under wraps.

    Along with her work on Bend it Like Beckham, Chadha has directed titles like What’s Cooking?, Bride & Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Throughout her career, Chadha has been nominated twice for a BAFTA, once for Bend It Like Beckham and once for her feature film debut, Bhaji on the Beach. Bend it Like Beckham was a surprise box office hit, earning an impressive $76.5 million at the worldwide box office on a reported $5.6 million production budget.

    The untitled project will be developed for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production. Lindy Goldstein (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms) will produce the movie along with Chadha. As of now, the film doesn’t have a release date and no cast has been announced.

    Source: Deadline.

  • What to Expect TODAY from Disney’s CCXP ’22 Panel

    What to Expect TODAY from Disney’s CCXP ’22 Panel

    This afternoon at 2:30 PM ET, Disney will begin a 3-hour and 20-minute long panel at CCXP ’22 in Brazil where it is expected to show off a significant amount of its 2023 slate from across its major brands. 20th Century Studios, Disney, Disney Animation, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios and Pixar are all expected to have a presence during the panel. Here’s an idea of what to expect.

    20th Century Studios

    The only question here is if Fox will show off anything other than Avatar: The Way of Water. The film is just 2 weeks away from release and press screenings begin early next week. Star Zoë Saldaña and producer Jon Landau are scheduled to be at the event and are likely to show off some footage from the film.

    Disney

    Image from Collider.com

    Thanks to Collider, we know that Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid will be front and center during their portion of the studio’s portion of the panel. The film, headed to theaters on May 26, 2023, stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and looked to be a visual spectacle when a teaser trailer of it was shown at D23. Given the May release, it’s possible a new trailer might be unveiled at CCXP.

    Disney Animation

    As of publication, not much about the animation panel has trickled out. It’s possible, however, that the animation studio might show off the upcoming Disney Plus film, Iwájú, and its next theatrical release, Wish.

    Lucasfilm

    It looks like Lucasfilm will be showing off at least 3 projects from its slate: Willow, which just launched this week on Disney Plus, The Mandalorian Season 3 and Indiana Jones 5. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are set to join the panel virtually and discuss Mando S3, which is reportedly streaming in February. A trailer for the third season was unveiled about 2 months ago, so it’s possible a new trailer, complete with an expected release date, might emerge from CCXP. As exciting as that will be, expect Indy 5 to take up a big chunk of Lucasfilm’s time. A trailer for the new film, complete with the title, has been cut and is waiting to roll out. Is today the day?

    Marvel Studios

    Kevin Feige does not do panels unless he can bring something special to the mix. He’ll be on stage in Brazil and will be joined by Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Jonathan Majors, whose Kang the Conqueror, a major piece of the Multiverse Saga plans, will be introduced in the film. The film comes out in just over two months on February 17, 2023, and a new trailer for it was just screened at an event in Singapore. Feige is bringing it with him and the only question is whether or not it’ll leave the screens at CCXP or be exclusive to the event. It’s very likely it’ll be playing in front of Avatar: The Way of Water, so even if it doesn’t get into the wild today, we’ll all see it soon.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will also get some attention at the panel, especially with Saldaña already in Brazil. Like Quantumania, new footage of it was shown in Singapore, so a trailer or some footage will be shown. The public has yet to see anything from the film, which is now just 6 months away from its May 5, 2023 release. While Marvel’s marketing window has been shorter recently, the same logic from above applies: they probably want this trailer in theaters with Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Loki Season 2 was also part of the panel in Singpore and the footage shown there featured Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Fortunately, Majors is already there, so expect him to give an update on Loki and perhaps introduce a new trailer. The series comes out after Quantumania, sometime in the Summer of 2023, so its unlikely an exact release date will be given.

    Marvel Studios is also likely to at least talk about Secret Invasion and The Marvels, both of which are set for 2023 releases. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that any major new announcements should be expected but rather just a showcase of 2023’s projects.

    Pixar

    Pixar will absolutely be showing off Elemental, the Peter Sohn-helmed film which is slated for a June 16, 2023 release. Here’s the official synopsis from Disney.com:

    Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.

    Of course, there could always be surprises rolled out during such a long panel and Murphy’s Multiverse will be doing out best to share everything with you as it happens!