Scarlett Johansson is set to both produce and star in a film based on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, according to Collider.
Josh Cooley, director of Toy Story 4 and writer for Inside Out, is writing the screenplay, while Johansson will produce through her production company These Pictures alongside Jonathan Lia. No other details about the film have been announced.
This is far from the first attempt to create a film based on the thrill ride. Back in 1997, a TV movie called “Tower of Terror” aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst. In more recent years, Disney has made an attempt to create a theatrical release for the attraction. Last December, screenwriter John August shared details and illustration from his pitch for the film that he presented in 2015. It’s unknown if this version will incorporate any of August’s concepts.
As of July 1, Disney’s Magical Express will no longer mail reservation confirmation collateral to guests and travel agents.
Instead, guests will be asked to use MagicBands or Magic Mobile to check in at the Disney’s Magical Express Welcome Center. Guests who do not have either will be checked in by retrieving their reservations manually using their IDs.
This is the current process at the Disney’s Magical Express Welcome Center if a Guest does not have their mailed reservation confirmation collateral.
To reduce the number of guests whose reservations need to be retrieved manually, guests will be encouraged to make their Disney’s Magical Express reservations and provide their round-trip flight information at the time they book their vacation. They will also be encouraged to utilize Magic Mobile, or to bring their Magic Bands with them if they have them from previous vacations.
Filming for Indiana Jones 5 is underway! Harrison Ford fans are thrilled that even at the age of 78, Ford is back for round 5 of Indiana Jones filming. Unfortunately, it is being reported that Ford got hurt while filming. It wasn’t a rolling boulder, snakes, poison, or fire… but rather a fight scene that caused Ford’s injury.
Deadline exclusively reported, “Harrison Ford hurt himself rehearsing a fight scene in Indiana Jones 5, sources tell Deadline. The extent of his injury wasn’t immediately known, but it involves his shoulder. Director James Mangold will continue to shoot around him while the appropriate course of treatment is evaluated. The filming schedule will be reconfigured as needed in the coming weeks. Disney has set the Lucasfilm action thriller for a July 29, 2022 release date.”
Disney follows with the statement: “In the course of rehearsing for a fight scene, Harrison Ford sustained an injury involving his shoulder. Production will continue while the appropriate course of treatment is evaluated, and the filming schedule will be reconfigured as needed in the coming weeks.”
Two of Disney’s popular Disney Vacation Club Resorts are scheduled to undergo refurbishment in the near future. Both Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort will have their lobbies and front desks refurbished.
As reported by DVCNews: “Work at Saratoga Springs will begin with a closure of the connecting lounge that runs between the front desk and Artist’s Palette. On July 12, the porte cochere is slated to close.”
Flying into Saratoga at this time? The great news is Disney’s airport transportation, the Disney’s Magic Express, will continue to run from the normal pick up and drop off location. There will however be a temporarily walkway for guests to reach the front desk. If you’re driving, you will be offered a chance to do curbside check-in at the Disney Vacation Club Preview Center. Thankfully, check-in is also now made super easy right from your phone with the My Disney Experience App. As the Carriage House begins refurbishment in August, front desk and concierge will be relocated to the hallway lounge.
Disney’s Old Key West Refurbishment Details:
It looks like much of the same work can be expected for the neighboring Disney’s Old Key West Resort. DVCNews shares: “Once the den modifications are complete, it will temporarily house Cast Members as the front desk is refurbished.”
Both Disney’s Old Key West and Disney’s Saratoga Springs will begin the updates on the lobbies beginning June 28, 2021. Disney has yet to release a timeline for completion.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, approximately 250 alligators have been trapped and removed from Disney properties in Florida since 2016. That was the year when 2-year-old Lane Thomas Graves was killed when attacked by an alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
Disney erected a lighthouse memorial at the Grand Floridian to honor the boy. His family founded the Lane Thomas Foundation to remember him and to provide support to families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.
Since 2016, the FWC has received roughly 17,000 complaints about gators statewide, and removed nearly 8,000. From permits reviewed by the Sentinel, there can be up to 500 gators removed from Disney property in the 14-year time frame from 2009-2023. They report that 429 have been removed in that period so far.
In addition to these removal efforts, Disney has also constructed barriers and other means to keep alligators from getting too close to guests. Fencing, boulder walls and warning signs can be seen around Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian where Lane was killed, as well as around other areas of Disney property that are close to the water. In addition, Cast Members receive reinforced training.
Experts on animal biology and conservation told the Sentinel that these removal efforts do not negatively impact the Florida alligator population, which is relativey stable at around 1.3 million alligators in the state. From 1967-1987, the American alligator was protected as endangered by federal law according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but conservation efforts have since led to a recovery of the alligator population.
There have been three fatal gator attacks in Florida since 2016, and none of them have been at Disney.
