‘Beauty and the Beast’ Disney+ Prequel Postponed Indefinitely

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

In March 2020, Variety magazine confirmed that a Beauty and the Beast prequel would be coming to Disney+. The prequel would be based on the 2017 live-action remake and would focus on the story of Gaston and LeFou before they came to Belle’s provincial town. The series would be called Little Town, and Alan Menken later shared that he would be returning to do the music for the show.

Unfortunately, we are now learning that the series has been put on indefinite hold. Filming was set to begin filming this summer, but Variety is now reporting that that will not be happening. Per Variety:

According to sources, the live-action musical show is being postponed for an undetermined amount of time due to creative and scheduling issues. The show was meant to begin shooting this summer in Europe, but certain creative elements were not yet ready, which would have delayed shooting. Given the scheduling issues this would cause with the show’s cast as well as weather constraints, it was decided to hold off and revisit the show at a later date.

News of the postponement comes just days after it was announced that Rita Ora was set to join the cast of the show, while Variety exclusively reported that “Hawkeye” alum Fra Fee was joining back in January….

Disney Plus had given the “Beauty and the Beast” series an eight-episode order. It was developed, executive produced and written by Gad, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz with each serving as a co-showrunner. Evans was also meant to executive produce in addition to starring. Liesl Tommy would executive produce and direct the first episode. The project was also to feature an original soundtrack from the legendary composer Alan Menken, who served as executive producer. The lyrics for the first episode were to be by Glenn Slater. ABC Signature was the studio.

Beauty and the Beast

In addition to Josh Gad and Luke Evans returning to reprise their roles as LeFou and Gaston, the series was set to feature a new female lead character. Briana Middleton had been cast to play the role of Tilly — LeFou’s stepsister. Tilly is described as having great poise and an adventurous streak as she tries to write her own story. According to Disney, the series would tell the story of Gaston, LeFou, and Tilly going off on an incredible journey after a surprising revelation is made about Tilly’s past.

It is important to note that, at this time, the series still remains on an eight-episode order. Disney has merely postponed it and has not canceled it. Hopefully, schedules can be figured out, and a filming schedule can be worked out without too much of a delay. The series was developed by Edward Kitsiss and Adam Horowitz, most well-known to Disney fans as the creators of the hit ABC show Once Upon a Time.

‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Debut Date Details

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Via InsideTheMagic.net

When Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s first Mandalorian spinoff series, The Book of Boba Fett, debuted on December 29, 2021, it marked the first live-action Star Wars show in 376 days, ever since The Mandalorian Season 2 finale episode aired.

In that Peyton Reed-directed installment, fans saw the return of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (CGI Mark Hamill) to the Star Wars story. He swooped in with his X-wing and a green lightsaber to rescue bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) from certain doom onboard Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) Imperial starcruiser.

grogu in handcuffs

In the fray, Djarin emerged with the Darksaber, won in battle with Gideon in an attempt to save handcuffed Grogu.

Now, in The Book of Boba Fett, Shand has returned alongside Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and they’ve once again joined forces with Djarin to combat the Pyke Syndicate.

luke skywalker (left) and grogu (right) with floating frogs in the book of boba fett episode 6

Episode 5 and Episode 6 of the spinoff series seem to have been setting up a great deal of the foundation of The Mandalorian Season 3, with the returns of Grogu and Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), The Armorer (Emily Swallow), a mention of Bo-Katan, and, of course, an epic Darksaber battle.

Although Djarin won the ancient black-bladed weapon in battle for the second time — this time against Paz Vizsla (voiced by Favreau) — he is deemed “a Mandalorian no more” due to the fact that he admitted to breaking the Creed when he removed his helmet both on the Imperial base with Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr) and on Gideon’s ship while telling Grogu goodbye.

Now, it seems that we may finally have an idea of when Djarin’s story will pick back up, potentially on Mandalore searching for any remaining living waters to atone for his transgression.

pedro pascal as din djarin

It is a safe bet that Season 3 will premiere this year, probably around Life Day Christmastime.

The delay in Season 3’s release is presumed to be related to Pascal’s commitment to his starring role as Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us video game adaptation.

grogu and din djarin in razor crest cockpit

Although Favreau and Filoni have remained characteristically tight-lipped about the third season of The Mandalorian overall, we do know that Pascal, Esposito, and Carl Weathers (Greef Karga) will all return, and that filming is currently underway.

mandalorian armorer and din djarin

In the meantime, Star Wars fans can look forward to Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bad Batch Season 2, and Andor in 2022 as well.

Disney+ ‘National Treasure’ Casts Powerhouse Actress as Series Regular

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

When Disney+ was launched in 2019, subscribers were promised a ton of great original programming. And so far Disney has kept its promise. Fans have flocked to the platform to watch original shows like The Imagineering Story, Loki, and The Mandalorian. Disney has also announced a ton of new shows that are coming down the pike, including American Born Chinese, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, and Superfudge — based on the novel from Judy Blume.

Disney has also turned/is turning a number of its popular films into series. High School Musical has become High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and The Mighty Ducks was turned into The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Next up on Disney’s film-to-series slate?  The 2004 film National Treasure. In 2020, the film’s original producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, announced that not only was a third film in the works, but it would also become a Disney+ series. The original film starred Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha.

National Treasure 2

If you need a refresher on the original film, it is available to stream on Disney+. Here is the official description from Disney:

Ever since he was a boy, Gates has been obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure, the greatest fortune known to man. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he’s dogged by a ruthless enemy who wants the riches for himself. Now in a race against time, Gates must steal one of America’s most sacred and guarded documents – the Declaration of Independence – or let it, and a key clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands.

The new National Treasure series will not focus on the original characters, but will instead introduce an entirely new cast. Lisette Alexis will lead the series as Jess Morales, a 20-year-old DREAMer who goes off on an adventure to discover the secrets of her own family tree. Lyndon Smith, Jordan Rodrigues, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, and Zuri Reed have also been announced to be in the show.

Disney has now shared that a mega-star will be joining the show as a series regular. According to multiple reports, Catherine Zeta-Jones will be playing a character named Billie. Here is more information on the character, per Entertainment Weekly:

According to a character description, Zeta-Jones will play Billie, who’s “a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.”

“She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a shrewd, stylish businesswoman and adventurer,” the description continues. “Billie’s used to getting what she wants — and she wants the Pan-American treasure. But not just for the money. This treasure has deeper stakes for her.”

Catherina Zeta-Jones

Neither a filming date nor a premiere date have been announced at this time. We do know that Jerry Bruckheimer will be producing the series. Rick Muirragui (Suits, Whiskey Cavalier) will be a writer on the series, along with Cormac and Marianne Wibberly — two of the film’s original writers. Mira Nair will be directing — she has previously worked with Disney on the film Queen of Katwe.

Store Owner Blames Disney For Their Business Closing

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

There is a lot that goes into making a movie — from casting to creating the costumes and designing the sets. And that’s before filming even begins. Once filming begins, the cast and crew are not the only ones affected. If filming takes place anywhere other than a studio, streets may be shut down and stores may be forced to alter their hours. One person who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, is claiming that they have to close their business after 37 years because of Disney’s filming of one of its movies.

TikToker Michael Manzella (@michaelmanzella37) recently shared a video of a message in a store window while he was out and about. The store owner claimed that, due to Disney’s filming, they were being forced to permanently close their store. The note read:

Thanks DISNEY and NOLA FILM office for putting me out of business after 37 years of business at this location. 

I survived Katrina, the BP oil spill, an armed robbery, the building next door collapsing, mandatory covid closure, to name a few…

Who would believe MICKEY MOUSE would take me down!

Michael then shared a video of the street, where lights and a film setup can be seen. However, traffic is still moving down the street and a number of people are seen walking up and down. Instead of supporting the business owner, many commented that they did not believe that the filming was the reason the store was closing. Many cited the fact that company’s like Disney will pay businesses thousands of dollars if they are forced to close because of filming.

TikToker @helloosunshiine said:

That’s total BS. Disney compensates businesses to close for the time they are filming. Seems like this shop was already going downhill for a while

M. Anthony Barrett claims to live in the area and didn’t believe the shop owner. He said that the shop was only open by appointment only.

Nope…. Wasn’t she open by appointment only?.. Was just there in December… Wanted to visit but she was never open..

BNicole5000 shared that she lives in Los Angeles, where filming takes place all of the time, and she knows that businesses are paid when that happens.

Living in LA where film crews are constantly filming and shutting down areas, they pay the shops. So seems like maybe other issues

You can watch the whole video below or by clicking here.

@michaelmanzella37

#neworleans #nola #sad #closing #disney #fyp #trending #movies #disneygram #hurricanekatrina #covid

♬ original sound – michaelmanzella37

It appears that Disney is in New Orleans to film the new Haunted Mansion movie. The film will star Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah), and Owen Wilson (Loki). Disney also recently announced that they were looking for extras who live in the New Orleans area. According to reports, Disney is hoping to be able to release the film in time for Halloween 2022, but if that date is not met, a mid-2023 release is expected.

Disney Strikes Deal With WWE Amidst Rumors of Buying Wrestling Company

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

The Walt Disney Company has inked a deal with the WWE for exclusive streaming content.

According to a report by Deadline, Disney and WWE reached a deal for the WWE Network to stream exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and this is being seen as a potential prelude for more deals to fall into place in other territories in the future.

The move follows that of the WWE Network, a pioneering direct-to-consumer service, to NBCUniversal’s Peacock in the U.S. last spring. That $1 billion agreement netted the WWE a significant revenue boost and execs have signaled plans to leverage streaming rights around the world. The Indonesia setup kicks off on January 30 with the Royal Rumble from St. Louis.

Walt Disney Company’s Indonesia General Manager Vineet Puri said the company was excited to welcome WWE onto its programming in the territory.

“As home of the best global and local language content, we’re excited to welcome the extensive library of content from WWE Network to the ever expanding slate of Disney+ Hotstar. With this new content on Disney+ Hotstar, we hope to expand our reach and engage even more audiences in Indonesia.”

According to Deadline, WWE President Nick Khan called Disney “the gold standard in creating iconic intellectual property that serves as the backbone for international business growth.” By teaming with Disney+ Hotstar, he added, will enable the WWE to “deliver WWE Network content including WrestleMania on a best-in-class platform to our existing fans in Indonesia while also introducing WWE to new audiences in the region as Disney+ continues to expand its reach internationally.”

While nothing has been confirmed, there have been rumors for a couple of years that Disney might move to buy the sports entertainment giant at some point in the future and these rumors have amplified as WWE Chairman Vince McMahon continues to age and potential competition has emerged in the form of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which is owned by Tony Khan.

At this point, however, the expectation of what could come from this deal in the future is more international WWE Network markets potentially moving to Disney’s streaming platform, but for now in the U.S. the WWE Network is locked on NBC Universal’s Peacock streaming service.

Current stars in the WWE include names like Seth Rollins, Big E, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Edge, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, among others.