The Marvel Cinematic Universe is losing its friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as recent reports have revealed that Sony Pictures and Disney will not be working together on upcoming MCU projects.
According to a report by Deadline, Feige’s exit was about money; it was about Disney seeking the 50/50 co-fi stake as the price for Marvel and Feige’s continued involvement. Sony declined to meet those terms.
It was an aggressive stance, but these talks had been going on for some time. Had Sony agreed to Disney’s ask, Marvel and Feige would not have withdrawn from the Spider-Man films, sources said. Sony took to Twitter with a differnt take on the break up as you can see in the tweet below:
Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise. We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film. (1/3)
One source said that a deal might still be reached between Disney and Sony but there are no talks currently going on. Disney is believed to have expressed concerns that Feige was spread too thin due to other Marvel projects plus original projects for Disney Plus, according to a report from Variety.
Sony has controlled the rights to the web-slinger since 1999, but the two studios have been sharing Spider-Man across numerous films since 2015, including major roles in the latest “Avengers” movies. As part of the previous agreement, Marvel had also been acting as a producer on the 2017 and 2019 standalone Sony “Spider-Man” movies starring Tom Holland, which were both box-office blockbusters.
Forky Fans will be happy to hear that, as promised, the new and improved Forky Plush with embroidered eyes have made their way back on the shelves in Disney parks.
Back in early July, Disney voluntarily recalled over 80,000 Forky Plush dolls from Pixar’s Toy Story 4 after claims of a dangerous chocking hazard with the dolls famous glued on googly eyes.
Fans of the newly favorited character were sad to see him pulled off the shelves and the website. The Disney company also encouraged anyone who had purchased the 11″ plush to return the doll for a full refund.
Forky is priced at $19.99 and can now go home and enjoy being a toy.
Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the studio was “re-imagining” the 1990s classic Christmas movie Home Alone for its new streaming service, Disney+ and now Macaulay Culkin has taken to the internet to give his thoughts on the reboot.
The child star, now 38, shared a photo on Twitter on Wednesday, one day after Disney announced plans to reboot the franchise. The pic pays homage to the infamous scene from the film, in which Kevin gorges himself on junk food while his entire family is in Paris for the holiday.
“This is what an updated Home Alone would actually look like,” the actor captioned a photo of himself, as you can see in the post below, followed by a reply saying “Hey Disney, call me!”
Before Disney films its live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” ABC is diving in with a live production adaptation of the animated classic that is filled with a star studded cast.
“Moana” star Auli’i Cravalho will play the lead role. Queen Latifah will play the villainous Ursula and Shaggy will play the crab, Sebastian. More castings will be announced at a later date.
The announcement was made by Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. This special tribute to the original animated classic and its timeless music will take viewers on a magical adventure under the sea as live musical performances by a star-studded cast will be interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film. This never-before-seen hybrid format will feature beautifully intricate sets and costumes, with music from the original animated film and the Tony Award-winning Broadway stage version, originally composed by eight-time Oscar-winning composer, Alan Menken. Howard Ashman’s iconic film lyrics will also be showcased, while lyricist for the Broadway adaptation, Glenn Slater, will contribute to the star-studded spectacular.
“The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live!” is produced by Done+Dusted. Executive producers include Done+Dusted’s Hamish Hamilton, who will also direct, Katy Mullan, David Jammy, Raj Kapoor and Ian Stewart. Also executive producing is Richard Kraft, producer and director of the acclaimed Hollywood Bowl productions of “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! will premiere on ABC on November 5.
With a mighty domestic debut of $191.8 million, The Lion King roared to a worldwide debut of $446.1 million, the ninth highest global debut of all time.
Along with an international opening weekend of $254.3 million plus $97.5 million in China, where the film opened July 12, The Lion King’s global cumulative box office is $543.6 million over 10 days. The film is already the No. 7 film of the year globally.
The Lion King’s domestic debut—the No. 8 opening of all time—marks a record for July and for a PG-rated film. It’s the biggest debut ever for a Walt Disney Studios release outside of Marvel and Lucasfilm, surpassing Incredibles 2 ($182.7 million) and Beauty and the Beast ($174.7 million). Earning a fantastic A CinemaScore, The Lion King is the fifth Disney Live Action reimagining to gross more than $100 million in its debut, alongside Beauty and the Beast ($174.7 million), Alice in Wonderland ($116.1 million), The Jungle Book ($103.3 million) and Aladdin ($116.8 million four-day holiday).
The international cume to date is $351.8 million. The Lion King opened at No. 1 across all international markets and was within the top five industry opening weekends of all time in several markets, including Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and the entire Latin America region. The Lion King is still to open in Hong Kong, Japan and Italy.
After 13 weeks in theaters, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame has overtaken the global box office record that has been held by Avatar for the past 10 years.
Avengers: Endgame shattered records when it opened on April 26 with $1.2236 billion globally, including $357.1 million and $866.5 million internationally. It crossed the $1 billion mark in just five days and the $2 billion mark in 11. The film has grossed $2.79 billion passing Avatar which sits at $2.78 billion.
“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” said Alan Horn, Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Studios, of the historic achievement.
To date it is still the No. 2 domestic release of all time, taking in $854 million in the U.S. box office, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens which has accumulated $936 million. It’s the No. 1 release of all time in 25 territories, and the No. 3 highest grossing film of all time in China with $629 million.
“Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever, and the astonishing achievements of both of these films are ongoing proof of the power of movies to move people and bring them together in a shared experience. The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora,” said Horn.
Saturday, at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige officially announced the lineup of Marvel’s ‘Phase 4’ projects.
Marvel’s ‘Phase 4’ plans include 10 projects — five movies and five Disney Plus series created exclusively for Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service launching in the U.S. on November 12.
Take a look at the entire lineup below:
The Eternals—in theaters on November 6, 2020
Chloé Zhao directs the feature, which introduces an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Eternals stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier—coming to Disney+ in fall 2020
Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) most popular heroes—Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, and Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier—embark on a series of action-filled adventures as they fight together against evil after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Anthony Mackie (The Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier) reprise their roles in the new series.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings—in theaters on February 12, 2021
Kevin Feige announced the confirmed casting of Simu Liu in the title role of Shang-Chi. Destin Daniel Cretton directs, and the film also stars celebrated Chinese actor Tony Leung as the real Mandarin, and Awkwafina in a yet-to-be-disclosed role.
WandaVision—coming to Disney+ in spring 2021
Paul Bettany reprises the role of Vision and Elizabeth Olsen returns to her role of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. They will be joined by MCU newcomer Teyonah Parris, who will be playing the grown-up version of Monica Rambeau, who was introduced to audiences in Captain Marvel.
Loki—coming to Disney+ in spring 2021
Tom Hiddleston returns to his role of the mercurial Loki, the God of Mischief and fan-favorite villain.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness—in theaters on May 7, 2021
The second film in the Doctor Strange franchise will reunite director Scott Derrickson with Benedict Cumberbatch, who returns for the new installment. Elizabeth Olsen will also star, and WandaVision—the Disney+ series that’s also centered around Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch—will connect directly to the feature-film storyline.
What If…?—coming to Disney+ in summer 2021
What If…? marks the first animated series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and features stories that present alternate realities in the Marvel universe. Many actors from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe will reprise their roles, as voice talent; and Jeffrey Wright lends his voice to the popular character The Watcher in the new series.
Hawkeye—coming to Disney+ in fall 2021
In Hall H, Jeremy Renner revealed the previously undisclosed title of the Disney+ original series. Hawkeye will introduce fans to Kate Bishop, a character well-known in the Marvel comics, who will be an integral part of the new series.
Thor: Love and Thunder—in theaters November 5, 2021
In the fourth feature film in the Thor franchise, Jane Foster, played by Natlie Portman, will become the Mighty Thor, the Goddess of Thunder. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Portman star, with Taika Waititi set to direct.
Black Widow—in theaters May 1, 2020
The first film of Phase Four stars Scarlett Johansson, who reprises her role of Natasha Romanoff, as well as MCU newcomers David Harbour, who plays Alexei aka The Red Guardian; Florence Pugh as Yelena; O-T Fagbenie as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Cate Shortland directs.
To conclude the presentation, Feige also surprised the enthusiastic Hall H crowd with the announcement that two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will star in the new Marvel Studios feature film Blade.
To celebrate the release of Descendants 3, Disney World is hosting a DescenDANCE Party which will be rocking the Marketplace Stage at Disney Springs for a limited time July 26 – August 11, 2019.
At the Disney DescenDANCE Party, you can hit the dance floor to some wickedly good beats, snap and share great pics at a pair of cool photo ops, and catch on-screen shout-outs from some of the stars of the movie.
And if you can’t make it to Disney Springs for this limited run, fear not! The DescenDANCE Party fun will carry on, taking over the stage at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café as an added feature during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, offered select nights at Magic Kingdom Park starting August 16.
In “Descendants 3,” after a barrier breach threatens the safety of Auradon during the VKs’ departure off the Isle, Mal decides to permanently close the magical barrier, fearing Uma and Hades will do irreparable damage. But an unfathomable, unforeseen dark force threatens the people of Auradon, and it’s up to Mal and the VKs to save everyone in the kingdom before it’s too late.
You can catch “Descendants 3” on August 2 at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel!
Disney has cast yet another actor to go under the sea in Disney’s live-action Remake of “The Little Mermaid.” Singer turned actor, Harry Styles is in early talks to play Prince Eric in Disney’s reamke of the 1998 animated classic.
Halle Bailey will portray the Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of being a human, while Melissa McCarthy is playing her evil aunt Ursula.
Styles was famously a member of boy band One Direction who then struck out on a successful solo career. He made his acting debut with Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan’s World War II drama that grossed over $526 million worldwide and collected several Oscars.
Eric is the human prince who catches Ariel’s eye. The mermaid saves the prince from drowning and then makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to exchange her voice for legs in order for a chance to make him love her. He is key in the final battle against Ursula.
“Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall is helming. The film will incorporate the original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tunes from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca. David Magee wrote the script.
Today, Disney released the first full length trailer for “Maleficent 2” and it reveals more of the dark fairy’s involvement with soon-to-be Queen Aurora’s political movement.
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”, the follow-up sequel to 2014’s “Maleficent”, sees the return of Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning as the dark fairy Maleficent and Princess Aurora.
The sequel to the 2014 film is set five years into the future, and it appears Maleficent will continue to explore her hot-and-cold relationship with Aurora as Aurora gets engaged. Take a look at the teaser-trailer below:
The sequel is described as “a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent”, in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen, as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.”
Joachim Rønning directs from a story by Linda Woolverton and a screenplay by Linda Woolverton and Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster. Film is produced by Joe Roth, Angelina Jolie and Duncan Henderson with Matt Smith, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Michael Vieira serving as executive producers.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil hits theaters nationwide October 18.
