Nicolas Cage Says Disney Turned Its Back on Him

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

Via DisDining.com

In the late 1990s through the early 200s, it seemed that every movie Nicolas Cage touched turned to gold. He was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and was in a number of notable films, including Face/Off, Gone In 60 Seconds, Adaptation., and Ghost Rider. In 2004, Disney fans around the world saw him play Benjamin Franklin Gates in the hit movie National Treasure. The movie was so successful that a sequel came out in 2007 and a third installment was promised.

Unfortunately, Cage had several films that were box office flops, including Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Season of the Witch, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. That led to many of his film heading straight for Video on Demand. It was then that Cage began to see that production companies he had once had a close relationship with were beginning to turn their backs on him. One of those companies was Disney.

Sorcerer's Apprentice

In a new interview with GQ Magazine, Cage spoke about the issues he had in trying to make National Treasure 3 happen:

Cage is matter-of-fact when he speaks about how he went from headlining blockbusters to going straight to VOD. “The phone stopped ringing,” he says. “It was like, ‘What do you mean we’re not doing National Treasure 3? It’s been 14 years. Why not?’ ” He would often get a circuitous answer, but he knew what the elephant in the room was. “Well, Sorcerer’s Apprentice didn’t work, and Ghost Rider didn’t really sell tickets. And Drive Angry, that just came and went.’”

Cage wants to keep going with the indies. “I enjoy making movies like Pig and Leaving Las Vegas more than I enjoy making movies like National Treasure,” he says. He waves away suggestions that National Treasure 3 is happening, after I mention that Jerry Bruckheimer told me they were developing something. “When I talk about fair-weather friends in Hollywood, I’m not talking about Jerry. I’m talking about Disney,” he says. “They’re like an ocean liner. Once they go in a certain direction, you’ve got to get a million tugboats to try to swivel it back around.”

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Jerry Bruckheimer — the original producer on the first two films — has announced that a third film is in the works. There is also a National Treasure series in the works at Disney+. The series will star Lisette Alexis as a 20-something DREAMer who sets off on an exciting adventure to find a lost treasure and uncover her family’s secrets along the way. The series will also star Catherine Zeta-Jones.

There is no word on whether Cage will be in National Treasure 3 or if he will make a possible cameo in the National Treasure Disney+ series.

‘The Muppets Mayhem’ Series Will Come to Disney+

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Via Wdwnt.com

A new “Muppets” series has been greenlit by Disney+, Deadline reports. As previously reported, the series will focus on The Electric Mayhem Band. It will also star Lilly Singh (“A Little Late with Lilly Singh”).

The series is developed and written by Adam F. Goldberg (“The Goldbergs”), as well as Bill Barretta and Jeff Yorkes.

“The Muppets are renowned for quality, creativity, and unrivaled, fun storytelling for the whole family,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “We are thrilled to have Adam, Bill, and Jeff at the helm to bring all of these iconic and great new characters to life in fresh and dynamic ways.”

“Adam F. Goldberg is our resident Muppet enthusiast at Signature and getting to play in the sandbox with Bill, a longtime Muppet performer, as well as these beloved characters was a dream come true for him, Bill, and Jeff,” said Jonnie Davis, President of ABC Signature. “Their take is fresh, fun, musical and of course, hilarious. We couldn’t be happier to be the studio that is helping them get the band back together.”

It will follow The Electric Mayhem Band as “they go on an epic musical journey to finally record their first studio album.” Singh will play the human Nora, “a driven junior A&R executive tasked with managing and wrangling” the band. The band will come “face to face with the current day music scene as they try to finally go platinum.”

The band members are voiced by Bill Barretta (Dr. Teeth), Eric Jacobson (Animal), Matt Vogel (Floyd Pepper), David Rudman (Janice), Dave Goetz (Zoot), and Steve Whitmire (Lips).

Goldbert, Barrett, Michael Bostick, and Kris Eber will executive produce. Yorkes will be a co-executive producer. David Lightbody and Leigh Slaughter of the Muppets Studio are also executive producers.

“We are so excited to bring the story of The Electric Mayhem Band to the front and center of this new series,” said Lightbody. “They’ve been entertaining audiences since The Muppet Show, which debuted 45 years ago, so it’s wonderful that these characters are finally getting to play lead rather than supporting roles.”

Disney+ Series Caused Behind The Scenes Screaming Matches

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Via DisDining.com

In 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the incredibly popular 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast. The film starred Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, and Josh Gad as LeFou. The film was nearly a shot-for-shot remake, and audiences couldn’t get enough. They loved seeing some of their favorite characters brought to life once again.

Beauty and the Beast was so successful that, in 2020, at Disney Investor Day, the company announced that they were actively working on a prequel series that was bound for Disney+. The series would focus on the life of Gaston and LeFou before they met Belle in the provincial town they all lived in. Details were minimum at the time, but over the years, a lot more information was given.

Both Luke Evans and Josh Gad were set to return to their roles of Gaston and LeFou. Alan Menken — the original composer for both the animated and live-action films — was also going to return. We also learned that a brand-new character would be introduced into the world of Beauty and the Beast. A young girl named Tilly — LeFou’s stepsister — would be a part of the story. She would be the reason Gaston and LeFou set off on a big adventure.

Beauty and the Beast

Things seemed to be on a roll — production start dates were announced, casting was nearly complete, and a show title — Little Town — was even announced. Then it all came to a grinding halt. The Hollywood Reporter published an article that said, due to things being pushed back because of the pandemic, scheduling conflicts had arisen. The show was being put on indefinite hold.

Josh Gad confirmed Disney’s decision in a disappointed tweet.

Even though everyone was shocked to hear that the highly-anticipated show was not going to happen, things behind the scenes were less than optimal. According to a new report from Puck, the studio did not like the second or third scripts submitted by Gad and series creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz — the same men responsible for the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time. The studio was also reportedly not happy with the music being created by Alan Menken.

Alan Menken

Things were apparently so rocky that there were actual screaming matches that happened. According to Puck:

Sets were being built in London, the cast had been secured, and Disney’s film group had already pushed Gad’s start date on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel to accommodate Beauty. So Peter Rice, who oversees the Disney Branded Television unit charged with exploiting its I.P., and Dana Walden, whose purview includes the ABC Signature studio, were forced to either swallow a chunk of money now or risk wasting a lot more on a potentially inferior product that would generate negative headlines because of the Beauty legacy. Making that call is their job, even if the creators were super upset (lots of screaming matches behind the scenes on this one, I’m told, especially since this trio’s other Disney+ TV project, based on the Muppets, was also scrapped in 2019). At least Gad and co-star Luke Evans are pay-or-play, according to sources, meaning they are owed for six guaranteed episodes, a rarity in TV.

Beauty and the Beast

While Little Town may have fallen through, Disney fans can look forward to seeing Gad portray Nick Szalinski in the new Disney series, Shrunk. In the series, Gad will play Wayne Szalinski’s now-grown son, Nick. Nick is following in his father’s scientific footsteps as he grieves the death of his mother, Diane. The series is also set to see the return of veteran actor, Rick Moranis. Moranis has been out of the spotlight for years but will return to reprise the role of Wayne Szalinski.

Disney CEO Confirms ‘Encanto’ Will Be an Entire Franchise

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek has hinted at the future of the mega-popular Encanto (2021) characters, indicating that the hit movie will become an entire franchise.

The Walt Disney Animation Studios film premiered in theaters on November 24, 2021. After a relatively unimpressive 30-day theatrical run, Encanto has exploded on Disney’s streaming platform. It’s Lin-Manuel Miranda soundtrack is now even officially more popular than the hit Frozen (2013) score, which featured hits like Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” and “For the First Time In Forever.”

Felix (L) and Pepa (R) in 'Encanto'

One Encanto song in particular — “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — has skyrocketed up the charts. And, as it turns out, composer Miranda (Hamilton, Moana, Mary Poppins Returns) had such a hunch about the tune’s popularity that he had an “NDA for toddlers” with his sons.

Mirabel (L) and Abuela Alma (R) in 'Encanto'

During last week’s first-quarter Walt Disney Company earnings call, Chapek confirmed that the company has launched an entirely new franchise with Encanto:

“We’ve had a very strong start to the fiscal year, with a significant rise in earnings per share, record revenue and operating income at our domestic parks and resorts, the launch of a new franchise with Encanto, and a significant increase in total subscriptions across our streaming portfolio to 196.4 million, including 11.8 million Disney+ subscribers added in the first quarter…”

encanto antonio

As for where the franchise might go in the future, the options are nearly endless.

From a potential sequel film in the vein of Frozen II (2019) to Disney+ Original series like Moana and Princess Tiana are both getting to more toys and merchandise — which are already flying off the shelves, with the Magical Casa Madrigal Play Set sold out everywhere — to, perhaps, even a Broadway show, Encanto‘s popularity will undoubtedly continue to rise.

Mirabel (L) and Bruno (R) in 'Encanto'

Miranda, in fact, recently spoke to E! News about his desire to see the popular movie come to the stage:

“I think it weirdly lends itself well. They don’t always, you know? Like, I can’t picture a Moana Broadway musical. I don’t know how you’d do the ocean. My first draft of the last song in the movie, ‘All of You,’ was like seven minutes long. It was so late in production that they were like, ‘Lin, we won’t make the movie in time. You actually have to cut this down.’ So I’ve got the Broadway finale like in the chamber.”

‘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.