Disney moves 'Maleficent' to summer 2014, claims summer 2015 for Capt. Jack Sparrow

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After a period of relative quiet in the House of Mouse’s feature film department, Disney’s magic cinema cauldron is brewing once more.

The studio announced today that Angelina Jolie’s live-action Maleficent — a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story from the perspective of its wicked villain — The film also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville, has been shifted from its original release date of March 14, 2014 to the far more high profile release of July 2, 2014, smack in the middle of the Independence Day holiday. It will also be released in 3-D.

With the March 2014 corridor now relatively open, Disney chose to slot The Muppets 2 for the following weekend, March 21, 2014. Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell are both officially signed up for the sequel, with Tina Fey reportedly in talks to join them.

The fifth Pirates of the Carribean film also officially landed a release date, for July 10, 2015, with Johnny Depp attached to reprise his role as Capt. Jack Sparrow and franchise rookie Jeff Nathanson (Tower Heist, Catch Me If You Can) penning the screenplay.

Finally, Brad Bird’s mysterious 1952 will arrive in 3-D on Dec. 19, 2014, with George Clooney officially signed up to star. Bird penned the script with Damon Lindelof and EW senior writer Jeff Jensen.

Disney also announced that Marvel Studios projects Captain America: The Winter Soldier (out April 4, 2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy (out Aug. 1, 2014) will both be released in 3-D.

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‘Star Wars’ Series May See ‘Empire’ and ‘Jedi’ Writer Returning to Franchise

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Star Wars Episode Seven mania is swirling, but a piece of news from Deadline caught our attention, and it’s focused on future installments in Lucas’ relaunched franchise.

Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt will be scripting the upcoming film that will kick off a new trilogy in the space opera canon, but Deadline indicates that The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan is possibly being courted to write Episodes Eight and Nine. Kasdan also wrote Raiders Of The Lost Ark for Lucas and Steven Spielberg. He’d be joined by Sherlock Holmes and X-Men: First Class screenwriter Simon Kinberg if a deal goes through. We’d love to see some old school Kasdan back on the job, but remember: it’s just a rumor for now.

In other recent Star Wars news, we found out Lando Calrissian will be returning to the series, and Billy Dee Williams would be down to don his awesome cape and mustache once more. Yes, please!

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Parents & Punishments - Clip - Austin & Ally - Disney Channel Official

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DISNEY TO ACQUIRE LUCASFILM LTD.

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An investor conference call will take place at approximately 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT today, October 30, 2012. Details for the call are listed in the release.

Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.

Acquisition continues Disney's strategic focus on creating and monetizing the world's best branded content, innovative technology and global growth to drive long-term shareholder value.

Lucasfilm to join company's global portfolio of world class brands including Disney, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel and ABC.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 feature film targeted for release in 2015.

Burbank, CA and San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2012 – Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.

Additional information at the source

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Disney Now Says New Princess Sofia Is Not Latina After Controversy Erupts

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First came the revelation that Disney's newest princess in the upcoming Disney Channel and Disney Junior TV feature, Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess, is Latina.

That was then followed by frustration that the young lady didn't look Latina enough.

Now, it seems as if the situation might be a little more royally complicated, as the Mouse House is suggesting this princess isn't actually Latina at all.

"What's important to know is that Sofia is a fairy-tale girl who lives in a fairy-tale world," said Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of original programming and general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, per NBC Latino. "All our characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures."

Craig Gerber, a coexecutive producer and writer on the feature, added that as far as Sofia's ethnicity is concerned, she is "a mixed-heritage princess in a fairy-tale world. Her mother is originally from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Spain (Galdiz) and her birth father hailed from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Scandinavia."

Such statements, though, come on the heels of the more straightforward quote that Entertainment Weekly recently attributed to Sofia the First executive producer Jamie Mitchell: "She is Latina."

Prior to these most recent statements downplaying her ethnicity, Alex Nogales, President and CEO for the National Hispanic Media Coalition, had expressed concern about how Disney was marketing the show.

"We consume a hell of a lot of television, and I don't understand the reluctance of the producers to not be upfront and say, 'This person is Latina,'" he told E! Online

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Disney Characters go fashion Electric for Barneys

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The Little Mermaid may have gotten plastic surgery lately (in a dubious ad), but some other Disney characters are getting some less invasive makeovers, thanks to Barneys NY.

Women's Wear Daily reports that theesteemed fashion purveyor has teamed up with Disney to make a campaign called "Electric Holiday," featuring a 3-D film for the holidays featuring iconic characters as supermodels. In the movie, Minnie Mouse heads to the shows in Paris and runs into her high fashion friends, including Cruella de Vil, Snow White and a few more, of whom we've nabbed a sneak peek.

So, what do Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Daisy Duck look like with the Kate Moss treatment? First of all, creepily reed-thin, in the way only a cartoon character can. Could giving characters beloved by children the "thinspo" treatment be a bad idea?

Moving on, to the threads: Minnie looks dazzling in Lanvin, Goofy gussies up in some Balmain and Daisy opts for so-chic Dolce & Gabbana. Compared to their usual outfits, animated couture is definitely an improvement.

Scope out a preview of the Disney characters qua supermodels below. Do they look a little too thin for your tastes? Be sure to see more images from the campaign atWWD.

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Disney Preparing 'The Rocketeer' For A Reboot

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When Joe Johnston was first announced as the director for "Captain America: The First Avenger," folks were worried. He was coming off the disastrous "The Wolfman," and hadn't really had a hit since 2001's "Jurassic Park III" (which wasn't much to shout about). But the geek crowd -- and Kevin Feige himself -- pointed to "The Rocketeer" as evidence that he was the right man for the job. And indeed he was. The 1991 film shares a lot of the homespun humor, patriotic pride and yes, WWII setting found in 'Captain America,' and of course, it featured the requisite thrills as well. It's a favorite among the geek set, a film beloved by many and now it seems it's getting a remake.
Vulture reports that Disney will be meeting with writers to hear ideas on how to reboot "The Rocketeer." And while yes, Johnston's film is pretty much great as it is, it's easy to see why. "The Rocketeer" was not a hit when it was first released (and critics were even less enthused), lasting a mere five weeks in theaters where it earned $46 million, before fading away. TV replays and a home video release found a new audience for the movie, and a Blu-ray bow last year also boosted its subsequent audience, but in studio terms, the money train has long left the station. In essence, they still have the rights to the comic property (created by Dave Stevens for Pacific Comics in 1982), so why not rejigger it for a whole new generation of kids? That's business we suppose.


But Johnston's original film is that rare blend of unlikely elements that led to something special, and the tentpole driven, test-marketed, four-quadrant-approved world of today might be hard pressed to duplicate it. Made for a mere $35 million at the time, "The Rocketeer" was led by the then (and kind of still now) unknown Billy Campbell, with an oddball assortment of supporting players including Timothy Dalton (as the villain), Jennifer Connelly (as the girl, serving as the first crush for many young nerds), Paul Sorvino, Alan Arkin, Jon Polito and more. It's a charmingly B-movie affair that wears its earnestness on its sleeve -- in short, what makes it work is a tone we don't get often on the big screen these days. And with Disney likely hoping to spin new merchandising and sequels and toys and tie-ins off any reboot, well, it won't be "The Rocketeer" many grew up with.

Now before panic sets in, it should be noted that this could go nowhere. Right now it's at the meeting/let's-whiteboard-some-ideas phase, so who knows how it will play out. But if this does move forward, who do you think can write it and recreate some of that same magic? Who should direct?

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Ex Disneyland Employee Sues Disney Over Religious Discrimination

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A former Disneyland restaurant employee sued Walt Disney Co on Monday for harassment and religious discrimination, saying she was fired because she wanted to wear a Muslim head scarf at work.

Imane Boudlal, a 28-year-old Muslim, worked as a hostess at the Storytellers Cafe, a restaurant inside Disney's Grand California Hotel & Spa at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

Two years into the job, Boudlal asked permission to wear a hijab, a head scarf worn by Muslim women, while at work. She said she offered to wear a scarf that matched the colors of her uniform or featured a Disney logo.

According to her lawsuit, Disney managers denied her request, saying it would violate the company's policy for how employees "look" while on the job. Among the restrictions, the policy prohibits visible tattoos and fingernails that exceed a quarter of an inch, the lawsuit said.

Boudlal said she was given the choice of working in a back area, away from customers, or wearing a fedora-style hat on top of her head scarf. When Boudlal refused, she was fired, the lawsuit states.

A U.S. citizen who was born in Morocco, Boudlal said she was also subject to anti-Arab and anti-Muslim slurs, including being called "terrorist" and "camel" by co-workers and supervisors. She said she reported the incidents to managers, but they took no action.

"Disneyland calls itself the happiest place on earth, but I faced harassment as soon as I started working there," Boudlal said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "It only got worse when I decided to wear a hijab."

Disney said it offered Boudlal several options for a costume that would accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as four different jobs where she could wear her own hijab.

"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a history of accommodating religious requests from cast members of all faiths," Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, (Boudlal) has rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work," Brown said.

The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and an order that states Disney may not prohibit employees from wearing hijabs. It also asks that Disney be ordered to provide anti-harassment training for employees about Muslim issues.

The case is Boudlal v. Disney.



Edit:

The lawsuit claims Boudlal, who is a Moroccan native but a naturalized U.S. citizen, contacted her supervisors at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Storyteller’s Café in 2010 after she decided to wear her hijab full time. She says she was told wearing her hijab to work violated the company's "look" policy — general appearance guidelines — and that after weeks of back-and-forth, she was told she could wear a Disney-designed scarf, but only after it received corporate approval. (a portion of this repeats, but the part where it says she was offered an actual Disney-themed scarf wasn't mentioned in detail, so I wanted to highlight that)

Not wanting to wait to observe Ramadan, Boudlal wore her own hijab to work Aug. 15, 2010, when she says she was told she could either remove the scarf, cover it with a hat or work in a job out of public sight. She refused.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the company tried to accommodate Boudlal’s needs — as it has with religious requests from other employees of various faiths.

“We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work.”

Boudlal has not worked at Disney since Aug. 21, 2010, said Mark Rosenbaum, one of her attorneys from the ACLU of Southern California.

She filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2010 and received a “notice of right-to-sue” from the agency Aug. 8, opening the door for litigation. The lawsuit also says Boudlal was repeatedly harassed by her co-workers from the beginning of her employment, being called "terrorist," "camel" and "Kunta Kinte," the name of a slave in Alex Haley's novel "Roots." 




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