New Details Emerge On Fox’s Future As Disney Nitpicks The Studio’s Film Slate
By Ethan Anderton/Aug. 13, 2019 10:00 am EST
But there are other completed films that Disney will still apparently see released through 2020. They include the sci-fi thriller Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt, and somehow the long-gestating New Mutants. Others include films slated for release later this year like Ford vs Ferrari, Terminator: Dark Fate, and the Kingsman: The Secret Service prequel The King’s Man, as well as films that were in production during the merger, such as the video game based action comedy Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds and an adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street.
How a movie that hilariously denounces Nazism would alienate Disney fans is beyond us, but it probably has something to do with the radical conservative crowd that supports Donald Trump and loves family friendly entertainment, the same kind of people who celebrated when James Gunn was unjustly fired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
“Halfway through one recent viewing one executive grew audibly uncomfortable, worrying aloud that the material would alienate Disney fans.”
But beyond that, projects that were in development that don’t have broad commercial prospects are faring much worse. Estimates from rival studio executives say Disney may have gotten rid of $50 million worth of development, and that includes some big franchise properties such as a Die Hard prequel, reboots of Flash Gordon and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, video game adaptations of Mega Man and The Sims, and many more that surfaced online. Instead, as we heard, Disney is opting to remake more safe bets intended for their Disney+ streaming service.
Meanwhile, other projects are getting changes behind the scenes. Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti was slated to direct two films at Fox, a drama called The Editor that focused on Jackie Kennedy and a musical called Be More Chill. But now he’ll only produce both of those projects as they sit in flux at the studio.
