Once a rebel, always a rebel.
Lucasfilm has released a new trailer for Ahsoka — and it’s the most action-packed look yet at the upcoming Disney+ series, confirmed to premiere with its first two episodes on August 23. The story follows Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan (Rosario Dawson) after the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, as she continues her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Watch it below:
In a surprising turn of events, Disney has decided to remove Crater from its popular streaming service, Disney+. The film, directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and starring the talented McKenna Grace, was a Disney Sci-Fi original directed toward a teenage audience.
Crater was expected to be a thrilling adventure film that would capture the imaginations of Disney fans. Capitalizing on the success of other science fiction shows and movies like Stranger Things and Star Wars, Crater seemed like a perfect fit for Disney at this time.
Only 48 days after premiering, Disney made the decision to pull the movie from the Disney+ streaming service. This announcement has stunned fans due to the fact that Disney invested $53 million into the film. Its speedy removal has made fans question why Disney would invest in a project just to pull it from the public so quickly.
With the streaming industry becoming increasingly competitive, Disney+ has faced stiff competition from other platforms like HBO Max, Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu. This removal of “Crater” follows a recent trend of Disney removing titles from its streaming platform. Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company was expecting around a $400 million write-down as they removed numerous titles from the Disney+ platform. Moving forward, Disney will be invoking a “quality, not quantity” approach when it comes to their future original titles.
The removal of the movie Crater is a humbling reminder that Disney is willing and planning to remove a large number of films and shows in the next few weeks, even the new original content. If a film is coming to Disney+ that you want to see, it is advised that you watch it as soon as possible. In this new age of streaming, it is more clear than ever that nothing is permanent.
Disney Plus’ new animated anthology series is gaining a ton of praise, and it hasn’t even premiered yet! Fans of the upcoming Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire are inspired by its groundbreaking storytelling and unprecedented global portrayal. These science fiction stories glimpse into a futuristic Africa and are crafted by African filmmakers themselves! Here’s what you need to know.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire isDisney Plus’ new original anthology series, set to premiere July 5th. Ten stand-alone yet thematically connected episodes will feature futuristic sci-fi elements, action, and adventure inspired by African history and culture. The episodes will be like short films and are expected to appeal to families and lovers of anime.
Famed director Peter Ramsey is an executive producer, and the various anthology directors hail from African countries like Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt. The series will highlight the underrepresented African perspective in sci-fi worlds of the next level. Variety reports that the pan-African series will “blend of mythology, science fiction, and Afrofuturism, presenting 10 bold, wholly original visions of the future.”
“Kizazi Moto” is a Swahili phrase that translates to “Fire Generation” and refers to the proactive younger generation who want to inspire positive change in their communities or society as a whole. Kizazi Moto individuals are usually seen as passionate, driven, and committed to making a difference in various aspects of life, such as politics, activism, entrepreneurship, or social justice.
With this in mind, viewers can expect animators to combine their culture with advanced technology to create epic stories told through African animation. Disney Plus revealed the names of the ten episodes and the cultures they are connected to.
See what everyone’s talking about when Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire starts streaming on July 5th!
“Goonies never say DIE!” It would seem that is an accurate assessment as it was recently announced that the 1985 film The Goonies, starring newcomers Corey Feldman (Stand By Me, Gremlins, The Lost Boys), Josh Brolin (Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War and End Game), Sean Austin (Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things), among others would be getting a make-over. The Goonies is a loveable tale about a misfit group of friends trying to save their town from corporate America and greedy banks. Throughout their exploits and misadventures, they mistakingly find themselves in the sights of a murderous, yet dimwitted, crime family. Full of adventure, ill-timed comedy, and pirate lore, Steven Spielberg’s story resonated well with fans and has amassed a loyal following.
It seems that in their attempt to remake everything that we Gen X’ers hold dear, Disney has now shifted their focus to The Goonies, and the remake is set to happen in the form of a new story told as a series. This could go one of two ways, really well or considerably poor. There’s reason to be hopeful, however, as Amblin Entertainment, the group that produced the original film, is back on board for this new series which will air on Disney+. Affectionately called “Our Time,” the new series was reportedly passed on by Fox as it was too kid-central. Their loss, Disney’s gain.
There aren’t many details yet, but we have a plot foundation as the show’s producer Gail Berman spilled the beans with Variety. “This is a partnership between me, Amblin, and Lauren Shuler Donner. When I was at Paramount, there were these young boys doing this movie about “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a shot-by-shot remake. It got some press at the time, and the studio was very upset about it. I thought it was an amazing idea, and it always stood in my head of — how can you take an idea like that and turn it into a TV series? … We needed a terrific writer and great partners, so we brought the idea to Amblin and those guys loved it. Sarah Watson is our creator. The series is a story of a town and a family in the lens of “Friday Night Lights,” and within that they tell a story of a shot-by-shot remake of “The Goonies.” We had to go to Warner Bros., to Toby Emmerich, and ask if we could have rights to “The Goonies”. They said yes, obviously, because of Mr. Spielberg and the Donners. We’re now doing this for Disney Plus.”
Berman’s statements are exciting as they tell us they plan to stay within the original story. It seems the setting, Astoria, Oregon, and the general premise of the series will be the same as the ode to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Berman wanted to tell the story through a new lens, and we can get behind that. The problem, however, becomes what level of story do they want to tell. We can’t have the original pirate-laden tale of One-Eyed Willy and his hidden treasure, right? I’d argue, why not?
The original story’s foundation of kids searching for a hidden treasure navigating their way through treacherous terrain and booby-trapped caverns is perfect; why change it? It doesn’t seem that Berman plans to. The story works so well as is, filled with cringy one-liners, ridiculous gags, and great sets (for the 1980’s anyhow), they don’t have to stray far from the original formula for the series to have a chance at success.
This is where we come to a concerning conundrum. The Goonies wouldn’t be the same without Sloth, Chunk, Mouth, Data, Mikey, or even the Fratelli family. We have yet to hear about who could return and what their role would be. Producers could likely attempt to recast, but I fear that would not go over well with fans. Personally, I’m not sure how I’d feel about it. Although the original Goonies weren’t top-class actors (they were just a bunch of kids), that’s part of its everlasting charm. The terrible timing of jokes, over-the-top delivery of dialogue, and excessive stereotyping of kids make that movie perfect in its own way. They can’t reproduce that with a new cast.
The other likely possibility is that The Goonies gets a modern take. Maybe the kids are all grown-up and still searching for the ship full of treasure that sailed away at the original movie’s end. This is the most likely case for me, but it would still struggle to possess the same charm that made the original film so memorable. When we look at other productions that have been brought into the new age of movie-making, they’re only successful if they maintain their original essence.
No matter what they decide to do, a new series based on The Goonies is coming. It will be interesting to see how the show is written and produced, as it is made solely for Disney+. As Fox passed on the project, it might lose some of its gravitas in the joke-making department, but we shall see. As for the original, however, you can stream it on Amazon!
A popular Disney star has died at the young age of 29 after suffering a devastating fall.
Actress Park Soo Ryun died over the weekend when she succumbed to injuries she sustained from a devastating fall down a flight of stairs. She was only 29 years old at the time of her death.
Ryun was a South Korean actress who rose to stardom after she made her acting debut in 2018 in the musical Il Tenore. She then made the move to television in 2021, appearing in the Snowdrop series on Disney+ alongside Blackpink singer Jisoo. The series follows the story of a young woman at a university in Seoul, Korea, who chooses to go against her better judgment and “risk being expelled to hide a man [who showed up at her dormitory with major wounds from an attack] from his attackers and tend to his wounds. Unbeknownst to her, the man has a harrowing secret that threatens to put her friends’ and family’s safety at risk, and the two young lovers will have to work together to overcome the obstacles.”
The actress reportedly slipped and fell down a flight of stairs on Sunday, June 11, at a property located on Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest island. She was scheduled to perform on the island, according to The Mirror. Ryun was rushed to the hospital in hopes that she could receive life-saving emergency treatment. According to Ryun’s mother, the actress was unconscious, but she still had a pulse immediately following the fall. Sadly, however, she was pronounced dead after paramedics’ efforts to save her life were unsuccessful.
Following the news of her death, her family made the loving but painful decision to donate her organs.
“There must be someone who desperately needs organs,” Ryun’s mother said. “As her mother and father, we will be able to live comforted by the thought that her heart has gone to someone and is beating.” The family further requested privacy and respect as they process their loss.
“We sincerely ask [you] to refrain from sharing rumors or speculative reports, so the shocked and saddened family can reverently commemorate the late actor,” a representative said.
Ryun is the second actress from the Snowdrop series to die. In January 2022, Kim Mi-Soo, another actress in the series, also passed away at the age of 29.