Disney News

Tag: movies

  • Dwayne Johnson to Replace Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Film, Report Says

    Dwayne Johnson to Replace Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Film, Report Says

    As Johnny Depp and Amber Head’s legal battle comes to a close, rumours regarding Dwayne Johnson replacing Depp as ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ have started doing rounds on the internet.

    ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer officially confirmed recently that a script is being developed with Margot Robbie as the lead character. When asked if Johnny Depp’s character ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ would return, he said that currently there were no plans in the works.

    It doesn’t seem that Johnson would play the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, but rather would be a different character introduced in the franchise, similar to what will be seen with Margot Robbie’s spinoff film.

    Now, a report from Giant Freakin’ Robot indicates that Depp may never return in the role and, instead, Dwayne Johnson may be eyed for the next leading role in a Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff.

    The report reads:

    “It has already been announced by Jerry Bruckheimer that two spinoffs are in the works. One will see Margot Robbie take the lead of the franchise. The other is currently a mystery for now. However, based on our trusted and proven source, we can report that a third spinoff is in the works. This third Pirates spinoff will star Dwayne Johnson.”

    The Rock co-starred with Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise, a film released in 2021. The positive link was enough reason to advance Johnson as the new protagonist.

  • Seven Dwarfs Being Removed from the ‘Snow White’ Remake After Criticism

    Seven Dwarfs Being Removed from the ‘Snow White’ Remake After Criticism

    Peter Dinklage’s recently criticized of the forthcoming “Snow White” live-action re-make, particularly due to the depiction of the titular seven dwarfs and now Disney has responded.

    “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”

    The response came after the “Game of Thrones” actor expressed concern over the announced reimagining of the 1937 classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first full-length animated film from Disney, while appearing on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast.

    When discussing “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler’s casting as the titular Disney princess, Dinklage said he was “a little taken aback” at the discrepancy in the “progressive” casting of a Latina actress as Snow White while telling a “backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.”

    Rounding out the forthcoming film’s cast alongside Zegler is Gal Gadot (Red Notice) as the Evil Queen and Andrew Burnap (The Chaperone) in an unknown leading role. Neither of the three actors have spoken out about Dinklage’s comments at this time. 

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has planned to retool the dwarf characters since the film’s “earliest stages” and is working with “cultural consultants” to ensure an inoffensive portrayal, as the company previously did with 2019’s Aladdin and 2020’s Mulan. However, the former faced criticism for darkening white extras with brown makeup during filming and its stereotypical portrayal of the Middle Eastern community. Similarly, the live-action remake of Mulan proved quite controversial amongst many Chinese critics for the film’s production team’s lack of diversity, inaccurate depictions of Chinese culture, and historical errors.

  • Pixar releases first trailer for Toy Story Spinoff ‘Lightyear’

    Pixar releases first trailer for Toy Story Spinoff ‘Lightyear’

    Pixar has released the first trailer for Lightyear, the Toy Story spinoff that focuses on the in-universe astronaut that inspired the character of Buzz Lightyear.

    The movie, which is set to release summer 2022, follows the journey of Buzz Lightyear (this time voiced by Chris Evans) as he progresses from a test pilot to a full-blown Space Ranger in Star Command. 

    In the trailer, we see the real Lightyear suit up for what will surely be a dangerous and daring space mission. He boards a space shuttle, with a ground control crew anxiously watching, as it blasts off into the unknown cosmos. To the tune of David Bowie’s “Starman,” Lightyear explores alien planets, learns about space travel from an instructional robot and, finally, gazes up on his iconic green-and-white space suit in the final moments of the trailer. Take a look at the trailer below:

    Annie Award-winning director and veteran Pixar animator Angus MacLane steps into the director’s chair for “Lightyear.” The filmmaker was a co-director on “Finding Dory” but is now making his solo Pixar directorial debut with the “Toy Story” prequel. Galyn Susman (the “Toy Story That Time Forgot” short) is producing.

  • Danny DeVito Joins the Cast of Disney’s Haunted Mansion Movie

    Danny DeVito Joins the Cast of Disney’s Haunted Mansion Movie

    Danny DeVito has joined the star-studded cast of ‘Haunted Mansion,’ Disney’s ghostly family adventure based on one of the company’s signature theme park rides.

    The movie will follow a mother and son who stumble across a mysterious mansion — and an ensemble of characters that have something to do with it.

    In the movie, Danny DeVito will play a “smug professor,” and that’s all that’s been divulged about his character at this time. Full plot details haven’t been revealed for Haunted Mansion, but per THR, the movie “follows a mother and her son who come across a mansion that is more than it seems while being orbited by various characters key to undressing the spooky mystery.”

    DeVito will be joining LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Rosario Dawson for the “Haunted Mansion” film from director Justin Simien (“Bad Hair,” “Dear White People”)

    The film is Disney’s second attempt to adapt the iconic attraction for film, after an unsuccessful attempt starring Eddie Murphy, Nathaniel Parker, and Jennifer Tilly was released in 2003.

  • Tower of Terror Movie in the Works at Disney

    Tower of Terror Movie in the Works at Disney

    A Tower of Terror movie based on the Disney Parks attraction is in the works at Disney according to reports.

    36-year-old actress Scarlett Johansson is set to produce the new film and Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley is penning the script for the project based on the classic Disney theme park ride.

    Plot details are being kept under wraps, and it is unclear if the Oscar nominee would act in the project as well. Johansson is producing via her These Pictures banner with Jonathan Lia.

    First introduced in 1994, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a drop-in-the-dark ride based on the classic television series of the same name.

    Host Rod Serling narrates the experience, in which guests weave through a queue inside the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel before boarding an elevator that “travels directly to … The Twilight Zone.”

    In 1997 Walt Disney Television produced a TV film based on Tower of Terror starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst. It was Disney’s first film based on its theme park locations. Since then, however, Disney has produced films based on attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland, and Haunted Mansion.

  • ‘Cruella’ Sequel Already in the Works at Disney

    ‘Cruella’ Sequel Already in the Works at Disney

    “Cruella” is entering its second week in theaters and streaming services, and already there are plans for a sequel.

    The studio behind the film starring Emma Stone as the evil Cruella de Vil is in early development on a sequel, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported. “Cruella” director Greg Gillespie and screenwriter Tony McNamara are expected to return for the sequel, according to THR.

    “Cruella” debuted May 28 in theaters and on Disney+ under the streaming service’s Premier Access tier. The film has already earning $32.4 million domestically and $48.5 million globally.

    It is unclear whether Stone will reprise her role as the fur-loving villain, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    “We are very pleased with Cruella’s box office success, in conjunction with its strong Disney+ Premier Access performance to date,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to A’s in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings. We look forward to a long run as audiences continue to enjoy this fantastic film.”

    Disney has found success transforming its archive of animated classics for live-action features, beginning with “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010. Other films include “Maleficent” (2014), “Cinderella” (2015), “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), “Aladdin” (2019) and “The Lion King” (2019).

    The studio has live-action versions of “Pinocchio,” “Peter Pan & Wendy” and “The Little Mermaid” in various stages of development.

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Coming to Disney Plus with Original Cast Returning

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Coming to Disney Plus with Original Cast Returning

    Disney+ announced the Sanderson Sisters will be reuniting for “Hocus Pocus 2.”

    Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are set to reprise their roles in the sequel which follows the 1993 cult classic film.

    In a release, Disney described the plot of the film: “Three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.”

    “Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall with Anne Fletcher directing and Lynn Harris producing. Adam Shankman, who originally signed on to direct the sequel, will serve as an executive producer due to scheduling conflicts.

    “Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film,” said Fletcher.

  • Disney and Regal Owner Cineworld Reach Theatrical Release Deal

    Disney and Regal Owner Cineworld Reach Theatrical Release Deal

    Disney just signed a deal with Cineworld to guarantee the placement of Disney movies in Regal Cinemas across the country as they reopen.

    The deal also means that Cineworld’s cinemas will be showing Disney’s upcoming Cruella, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, even despite their day-and-date Disney+ Premier releases. On Thursday, Disney said it will be sticking to a purely theatrical window for some of its upcoming features, including a 45-day period for 20th Century Studios’ Ryan Reynolds-starrer Free Guy (which starts global rollout in early August) and Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (which begins in early September). That 45-day window would apply to both the U.S. and the UK, we understand.

    In comparison, Cineworld’s deal with Universal that was reported on Thursday will be for a 17-day exclusive window in theaters in the U.S., after which Universal will have the option to make a film available as a premium video on-demand offering. If a film earns an opening weekend of more than $50 million, the theatrical exclusivity period will be extended to 31 days. In the U.K. however, theatrical exclusivity will be guaranteed for all films for 31 days, with that window extending to 45 days if the film reaches an agreed-upon opening weekend benchmark.

    Cineworld now has deals in place with Disney, Universal and Warner Bros, with which they have 45 days of theatrical exclusivity in Regal locations starting in 2022. The company is also in talks with other studios about their own windowing terms.

    Cineworld’s Regal chain began reopening in April in the U.S., and its UK cinemas will resume operations from next week.

  • The Rock’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ Movie Will Git Disney+ the Same Day as Theaters

    The Rock’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ Movie Will Git Disney+ the Same Day as Theaters

    Disney’s Jungle Cruise will debut in theaters and Disney+ Premier on July 30.

    Disney+ Premier means that the movie will be available for in-home purchase to Disney+ subscribers for $29.99 in those territories which have the streaming service. Previously, it looked like the Jaume Collet-Serra directed movie was destined strictly for theaters.

    “Join my ace Emily Blunt (the female Indiana Jones) and myself on the adventure of a lifetime as our Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ hits theaters and your living rooms on the same day,” Johnson posted on Instagram as you can see below:

    “The most important thing with our movie was to always take care of families around the world by giving you options to watch it,” he continued.

    The Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt movie based on the Disney theme park attraction is a big tentpole and franchise starter for the studio.

  • ‘Spider-Man’ Films Coming to Disney Plus After New Deal with Sony

    ‘Spider-Man’ Films Coming to Disney Plus After New Deal with Sony

    Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment agreed to a multi-year licensing deal Tuesday that will bring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to Disney’s platforms, including Disney+.

    The agreement will not only eventually bring the Marvel Studios co-production “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and its follow-up “Far From Home” onto Disney’s streaming platform, but all of Sony’s theatrical releases from 2022-2026 like “Uncharted” with Holland and” Bullet Train” with Brad Pitt; Sony’s library of superhero films like “Venom” and the previous “Spider-Man” iterations that were solely produced by Sony.

    Blockbuster films like the “Jumanji” and “Hotel Transylvania” films are also included.

    The deal also makes those films available to Hulu, and FX, ABC, and other Disney-owned broadcast networks.

    Earlier this month, Sony signed a deal that gave Netflix first crack — what’s known in the industry as a “pay-one window” — for these titles. Typically, that window of streaming exclusivity lasts 18 months.

    A subscription to Disney+ costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and a bundle consisting of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ costs $13.99 per month.