Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney

  • D23: First Details on ‘Disenchanted’s Story

    D23: First Details on ‘Disenchanted’s Story

    D23’s first major panel has finally kicked off offering a tease on what exactly the future has in store for their live-action offerings. After a great trailer for Hocus Pocus 2, they quickly shifted gears to Disenchanted and revealed the first key story details of the sequel. As it turns out, the story of Amy Adam‘s Giselle will follow her having two children and trying to move forward as a mother. It gives them a chance to further explore her character and may also be a gateway into exploring how she’s handling her new life after all these years.

    Source: Twitter

  • D23: First Look at Tim Allen’s Return as Stana Clause for Disney+ Series

    D23: First Look at Tim Allen’s Return as Stana Clause for Disney+ Series

    D23 is finally upon us, as we anxiously await any reveal or tease of what’s to come in Disney’s future. While Disney+ Day surprisingly didn’t include any reveals for the streaming service, it led to many speculating that they are keeping their reveals and potential trailers for the upcoming Disney-owned event. Luckily, it turns out that while they are only getting started we’ve already gotten a first look at one of the upcoming projects

    As shared by Matt Dobrovolsky, it seems that they are showing some glimpses of what’s to come during D23. While he shared quite a few teases of what’s to come with the theme park side of Disneyland, it seems that they also included a first-look video where Tim Allen’s return in the upcoming The Santa Clauses Disney+ series has been unveiled.

    It definitely looks like Santa Clause and is our first look at the series. So, it seems likely that we might get our hands on a first trailer during the event. It also opens up the possibility of other Disney+ originals might get some promotion as well for what other new original series or legacy series are in development. Perhaps we’ll also see more from the National Treasure series that has been teased quite a bit. It’s a great little way to kick off D23.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘Cruella’ Sequel Will Be a Musical, Taylor Swift Eyed for Antagonist Role

    RUMOR: ‘Cruella’ Sequel Will Be a Musical, Taylor Swift Eyed for Antagonist Role

    Disney’s Cruella was one of many films to face the pandemic head-on after movie theaters began to re-open following COVID. As theaters continued to struggle, Disney made the move to shift certain films to dual releases with Premier Access on Disney+ allowing films like Black Widow, Mulan, and Cruella to be rented from home while still playing in theaters. Despite that, Cruella was still able to score quite a successful haul and land a sequel. While news has been sparse regarding the sequel, a new rumor suggests that might soon be changing.

    DisInsider has released a rumor that the sequel could be a full-on musical, as the soundtrack from the first film featured an extensive library of songs and original music for the film. The outlet also reports that the film may have even already found its villain, with Taylor Swift reportedly eyed for the role as what is described as “Cruella’s match.” They mention that this could have some correlation to a rumor that popped up on Deumoix a while back, claiming that “This A+ singer who has a minor appearance in Cruella (very tiny, you probably haven’t even noticed) might have a larger part in the sequel.” Swift herself does not physically appear in the first film but what looks to be cut from a magazine of her face can be seen plastered on a wall and scribbled on.

    Finally, it’s reported that the sequel could find a home exclusively on Disney+ and will completely avoid releasing in theaters, even after the first film grossed over $230M at the worldwide box office. With D23 around the corner, it is possible we’ll learn more about Creulla very, very soon.

    SOURCE: DisInsider

  • Ludacris, Lil Rel Howery and Teyonah Parris Join Disney’s ‘Dashing Through The Snow’

    Ludacris, Lil Rel Howery and Teyonah Parris Join Disney’s ‘Dashing Through The Snow’

    Disney’s latest holiday film has added a trio of stars to its cast. Deadline has announced that Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Lil Rel Howery, and Teyonah Parris have all signed on star in to Dashing Through the Snow. Production is currently underway in Atlanta, with Tim Story (Fantastic Four) directing from a script by Scott Rosenberg.

    Dashing Through the Snow tells the story of a divorced social worker for the Atlanta police department who loathes Christmas due to a memory from his childhood. While with his daughter on Christmas Eve, he finds himself sent on a call that will lead to him evoking the wrath of a local politician before meeting a man who will ultimately help him understand the magic of Christmas.

    Joining Bridges, Howery and Parris are Oscar Nunez (The Office), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Ravi Patel, Marcus Lewis, and Madison Skye Validum (Ivy & Bean). Producing the holiday flick are Will Packer through his Will Packer Productions and John Jacobs through his Smart Entertainment. While Story will executive produce alongside Johanna Byer, Ross Fanger and Zac Unterman.

    Dashing Through the Snow will debut on Disney+ next year in time for the holidays.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    The theme park adaptations continue as Disney has set their eyes on bringing the classic attraction of Big Thunder Mountain to life. Not only that, it seems they already have two directors attached, which are Bert and Bertie. They’ve both recently worked with the House of Mouse on the Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series, where they offered some of the series’ best.

    They are also set to write the script with Scott Free and LuckyChap Entertainment in a producing role. It’ll create a story around the 1979 Disneyland ride, which is set to have a new version released. It features a mine cart ride through a mining town on the search for gold, it is probably one of their most iconic theme park rides to date.

    There isn’t a word exactly on how they will try to wrap a story around this simple premise, but the studio has done it before. Pirates of the Caribbean is definitely the standout franchise from this theme park adaptation wave, but they also recently had a hit with Jungle Cruise and are working on another attempt at The Haunted Mansion. It’ll be interesting to see how they’ll bring the project to life and what Bert & Bertie bring to the table of this adaptation.

    Source: Deadline

  • Disney & Marvel Video Game Showcase Set for D23

    Disney & Marvel Video Game Showcase Set for D23

    All eyes are on D23’s potential film and television announcements, but the Expo unveiled today that fans should look out for more video game news as well. In a press release, the House of Mouse revealed that it will stage a showcase for its upcoming Marvel and Disney games at 1:00 PM – Pacific Time – on Friday, September 9th. 

    The digital presentation will be hosted by Kinda Funny’s Blessing Adeoye Jr., and will feature exclusive first looks at new content from Disney & Pixar Games, Marvel Games, Lucasfilm Games, and 20th Century Games. For those hoping to watch the showcase in real time, it will be streamed live on YouTube, D23Expo.com, and the social media pages for D23, Disney, and Marvel Entertainment. Anyone attending the convention will be able to watch live on the Premiere Stage, with an added presentation following the live stream featuring developer interviews, special guests, and exclusive giveaways.

    Titles fans can expect to see discussed during the showcase include LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which has been released but likely has more downloadable content on the way, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a tactical role-playing game that is set to become available in stores sometime next year. Disney Dreamlight Valley, a life-sim game releasing on September 6th, has also been listed as part of the virtual display.

    Curiously, the press release for the event also names the upcoming Marvel ensemble game from Skydance New Media as a topic of conversation. That game was announced last year as a narrative-driven blockbuster with an original story, but nothing has been made public since. Hopefully, D23 can provide some more exciting answers when the time comes.

    Source: BusinessWire, Twitter

  • RUMOR: Disney May Regain Theatrical Distribution Rights to Hulk Films in 2023

    RUMOR: Disney May Regain Theatrical Distribution Rights to Hulk Films in 2023

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s relationship with the Incredible Hulk has been relatively awkward since the film was released in 2008. The was film met with terrible reviews and remains at the very bottom of most fans’ MCU rankings. Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in the original film, but Mark Ruffalo was given the role in 2012’s The Avengers and all subsequent appearances of the character.

    Marvel Studios’ relationship with the Incredible Hulk and with the character of the Hulk generally is further complicated by the fact that Universal Studios retained the theatrical distribution rights of the original film and all sequels. This has made it difficult for Marvel Studios, and parent company Disney, to make Hulk-centered films. Disney and Marvel still hold the rights to develop movies starring the Hulk, but Universal has the first refusal opportunity to distribute the project and takes a significant chunk of the profits. This legal issue has led the MCU to limit Hulk to supporting roles and seemingly avoid solo projects altogether.

    Still, it was reported back in October 2021 that a World War Hulk was in development and eyeing a 2022 production start. That prospect raises a lot of questions about how the Marvel-Universal legal relationship will come into play. Now, unearthed legal documents filed with the Security and Exchange Commission by Marvel may indicate that Universal loses its rights in Hulk films in June 2023.

    As discovered by Reddit user u/vidoardes, a couple of SEC filings when read together suggest that the theatrical distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk and Hulk-centered films will revert to Disney next year. An official SEC filing by Marvel in December 2006 stated:

    Universal Studios has agreed to distribute Marvel’s film The Incredible Hulk and sequels on essentially the same terms as those on which Paramount has agreed to distribute the other films financed and produced under the film facility…

    Interestingly, the amended studio agreement, also available through the SEC, between Marvel and Paramount dictates a 15-year deal:

    6. Distribution Term: Paramount shall have the right to exercise its Paramount Distribution Rights with respect to each Picture for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture (the “Initial Distribution Term”);…

    So while there is no apparent confirmation that Marvel’s deal with Universal also had the 15-year agreement, the fact that Marvel stated that the deal is on “essentially the same terms” as those with Paramount is some evidence pointing to the time limit of the Marvel-Universal agreement. If it also ends after 15 years, that would mean that Disney would regain the distribution rights 15 years after The Incredible Hulk in June 2008, which would be June 2023.

    While the June 2023 date is not confirmed, it would make sense given that the World War Hulk film reportedly in development is eyeing a late 2023 or early 2024 release.

    Source: SEC via Reddit

  • Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Attracts a New Audience for the MCU

    Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Attracts a New Audience for the MCU

    With the Disney Earnings Call taking place for their third fiscal quarter, the public has received notable updates on where Disney stands in terms of its current business operations. Notably, official word has been revealed for Disney+’s ad-supported model which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2022. As well, the streaming service has defied the company’s own expectations and has added over 14 million new subscribers in the fiscal quarter.

    When laying out components to the success of Disney+, CEO Bob Chapek specifically took time to reference Marvel Studios’ output of series over the past year and a half as a major point of success. What he states is quite interesting as he highlights that they have measured an audience that watch these series before any other Marvel offering on the platform, as shared by Alex Zalben on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/azalben/status/1557467286457487361

    With this bit of information from Chapek, it paints a promising picture of the overall direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken in its fourth phase. It certainly seems to be the case that the audience that’s helped Marvel Studios produce some of the highest grossing films have followed them onto Disney+. And on top of that, the shows being able to attract new audience members that haven’t engaged with the Marvel Cinematic Universe prior is critical for the Disney-owned studio to maintain longevity moving forward.

    One could formulate the belief that the distinctly different genres that Marvel Studios has been able to adapt as a series (namely with the likes of WandaVision and Ms. Marvel) have become a large factor in its success. And with the upcoming release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which will be Marvel’s first foray into the “legal comedy” genre, it remains to be seen how the new series will impact the subscriber base of the still-young streaming platform.

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is scheduled to premiere its first episode on Thursday, August 18.

  • Disney+ in Early Negotiations for BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’ Streaming Rights

    Disney+ in Early Negotiations for BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’ Streaming Rights

    Disney has been growing smart in their Disney+ streaming venture. While they’ve become a bit reliant on their biggest IPs, Marvel and Star Wars, they have been slowly learning their lessons as they add more years in the streaming game. After not only expanding beyond the family-friendly approach as of late, they are also looking to stream big IPs from other ventures. Such as the reveal by Bloomberg that they are currently in negotiations with BBC.

    It seems that talks are in an early stage, but Disney is interested in acquiring the global rights to exclusively stream BBC’s flagship program, Doctor Who. One of the longest live-action series, which started back in 1963, has become a staple of science-fiction drama. The timing is also perfect, as the series is about to enter its next area with Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa set to take over as the next form of the Doctor. They would also broadcast the upcoming new season alongside BBC.

    As the deal is still in its early stages, it’s unclear if it’ll actually come together but it does highlight that the studio is slowly learning that they can’t purely rely on their own IP. While they have the biggest selection, especially after the purchase of 20th Century Fox and its subdivisions, there’s still a limitation to growing your core audience with a limited offering. There’s no detail if they’ll acquire every season of the show, but it would seem like that is their aim.

    Plus, they don’t have to produce everything, and having 50+ years of TV history to offer will definitely be something long-time fans will be looking forward to. Some international markets have Doctor Who through Netflix but only a limited amount of seasons are available. So, having one place to watch them all means people have some binging ahead of them.

    Source: Bloomberg

  • Marc Forster Set To Direct Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’ Adaption for Disney

    Marc Forster Set To Direct Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’ Adaption for Disney

    Neil Gaiman adaptions are quite the trend right now, and everyone wants a slice of the pie. Deadline is reporting that Marc Forster, who is known for his work on Christopher Robin, Quantum of Solace, and World War Z will direct an adaption of The Graveyard Book for Disney. The project will be an adaption of a book by the same name written, as you guessed it, by Neil Gaiman.

    The project will be produced through 2Dux2, Forster‘s production company with Renée Wolfe, who will produce the project alongside Gil Netter. Ben Browning also serves as a producer on the project. The film will be written by David Magee, whose previous works include Mary Poppins Returns and Life of Pi.

    The award winning 2008 novel follows a young boy named Nobody Owens, better known as “Bod” to those closest to him. The boy’s life is perfectly normal, up until his entire family is brutally murdered and the young boy comes to find a new home in a graveyard, where he is raised by a handful of supernatural beings such as Ghost, a werewolf, and an Vampire caretaker of the cemetery. So long as Bod remains in the graveyard, he is able to use ghost-like abilities that allow him to phase through walls, talk with the dead, and even become invisible to humans.

    This is one of a few high profile adaptions of Gaiman’s work in the past few years, with Amazons Good Omens upcoming season and Netflix’s highly anticipated adaption of The Sandman, set to release on August 5th. No release date has been set for the film, and no casting announcements have been made at this time.

    Source: Deadline