Framed Today...

Shave and a hair cut...







Hard to believe it's almost been a quarter of a century...

Twenty-four years ago today, Walt Disney Studios under their Touchstone Pictures banner, released the film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" to audiences across America. The live-action/animated hybrid film directed by Robert Zemeckis was an instant hit and a Disney classic.

With it's glowing reviews and box office success, a part two would be inevitable, right? The sequel with Tom Cruise never happened, but there has been talk that Zemeckis would do a sequel with today's technology. Let's hope if it's made, they don't forget story.

But like "The Rocketeer," if you walk down Buena Vista Street you'll see reminders of that classic film when the Red Car Trolley rolls by. And if you're down near Oswald's, look around at some of the mail boxes there. A certain detective named "E. Valiant" resides there.

Maybe someone will hire him to find out what happened to that sequel...

The World Of Tomorrow (Films)...

It's amazing, it's astouning, it's the world of tomorrowland...








Time passes so quickly that you tend to lose perspective of what has happened...

Or what could happen. The middle of the decade is only about three and a half years away. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where the Mouse will likely be then.

When we get to 2015 you have to wonder where the Walt Disney Company will be. What will the film business be like? The theme parks division? How will the events and advances in technologies change or advance the Burbank entertainment company? In this post, I thought we'd look at the film division.

Walt Disney Studios -

This division is divided into five branches that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Touchstone Studios.


Walt Disney Pictures:

The live action family division of the Mouse at the middle of the decade will have released "John Carter," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," probably "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" and various others. A "TR3N" will likely have been released if the reception to "Tron: Uprising" meets the Suits approval. And should many of those films be successful, then you can imagine sequels to several of them would be on the way. Another John Carter would be close to production or already being filmed based on how much box office receipts came in in 2012. A sixth, and likely final Pirate film starring Johnny Depp would undoubtedly be in the making as well. The likelihood of Rich Ross still being in charge will depend on the success of many of these films as well as several comedies recently approved. Should we get more stinkers like what has come out with over the past year, another head of the studios could be in charge by the middle of the decade. Success in this business has a way of leveling out and rolling heads.

Walt Disney Animation Studios:

The heart and soul of the company will look dramatically different come a few years. The output of films will have been of a consistently better quality for the good part of a decade by then (Pixar bought in 2006, "Bolt" two years later). With Lasseter making sure stories count more than bean counter opinions, audiences will hopefully have started to regain faith in the brand by then. Also the variety of films will have broadened. While princesses and queens and kings will still be present, stories that you wouldn't normally think of coming from Disney will have come or be soon coming from Disney. By 2015, you can expect "Wreck It Ralph," "King of the Elves," and likely "Snow Queen" to be out come the middle of decade. But the most interesting ones are yet to come from the trailers of what Dean Wellins and Don Hall have planned. By this time WDAS will have likely rebuilt a reputation that war torn down over the late 90's/early 2000's.

Pixar Animation Studios:

Up north in Emeryville, Disney North will be passed all the announced films that we know will continue through 2013. Next year is "Brave" which presents a princess tale from the Lamp's point of view. Afterwards, "Monster University" will roll into theater the following year. 2014 and 2015 have yet to be announced, but one of those films is likely to be by Pete Docter, and there are four or five other projects that are in various states of active development up there and anyone of them could be moved on the production slate. It all depends on which ones Lasseter believes are ready to move into production. I would expect an expansion of the slate of films from Emeryville to be announced within the next year or so. We're about due for another list.

Marvel Studios:

Disney's latest sibling has a much fuller and more open slate over the next few years. Now, this is a list of films the studio is producing itself, not the characters that have been licensed to other studios. But by 2015 expect to see "Avengers," "Iron Man 3," "Thor 2," "Ant Man," "Captain America 2," and possibly a "Runaways," film, a "Doctor Strange," film and a "S.H.I.E.L.D." film. This isn't even counting several other projects that are gestating like "Iron Fist" and others that the comic book powerhouse are planning for the silver screen.

Touchstone Pictures:

Over at the adult live-action division, which has basically become a distribution house for Steven Spielberg, will have just had the five year/thirty picture deal expire the year before. Should DreamWorks and Disney seem to be enjoying the marriage at this time, you could expect a similar five year plan to be announced. Films like "Lincoln," "Robopocalypse" and several others will have been released within this time frame. That would mark a decade worth of relationships with Spielberg and his company. Hopefully, some of his talent will be used in other areas of the company throughout these coming years.

The many divisions of the studio focus on different aspects of the market. Walt Disney Pictures concentrates on the live-action family entertainment. Walt Disney Animation Studios concentrates on classic animated entertainment. Pixar Animation Studios concentrates on cutting edge animated entertainment. Marvel Studios concentrates on live-action adventures of its vast catalog of characters. Touchstone Pictures which used to be another label of Disney produced/non-Disney stories will now concentrate on the new mission of being a simple distribution label for DreamWorks. It's come a long way from where it was as a small, animation company that made shorts for RKO Pictures to play in front of their features.

It's going to be interesting to see where it after the the middle of this decade...

Truth In Labeling...

With all the new films coming out under the Mouse's House I thought it was time focus on what's what and who's who...

First off, it's amazing how times have changed since Michael Eisner became CEO in 1984. When he came to power, the Disney name was in so disrepair that to have that name attached to it was considered box office poison. The films that were coming out of Walt Disney Productions were either bombs or disappointments. So much so that Ron Miller created the Touchstone Pictures label to produce films that would not have the stigma. Many were under the misconception that Eisner created it. He didn't, but he did exploit it to make films that Disney wouldn't make before. Times have changed. Here's how.

The film division of the Walt Disney Company now is powered from a different place. The Disney brand is the most valuable asset of any of its divisions. A generation after the company when outside to the name to be successful, it now is reaching inward.

Walt Disney Studios encompasses several brand names. Bob Iger is all about branding in this highly competitive environment. The divisions of each department are focused on delivering different, specific types of entertainment.




Walt Disney Pictures - This, most known division is responsible for all live-action family entertainment and through Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, all animated family entertainment.





Touchstone Pictures - This division that was used to distribute all adult or mature content will now be a shingle that handles all the films that DreamWorks Studios creates. Over the next five years, between five and six films a year will come out under this label. There is the off chance that the odd film from Disney will be released from this division, but that will be very rare. From now on this logo will adorn Steven Spielberg & Co.'s films that used to be under Paramount Pictures and before that Universal Pictures.



Hollywood Pictures - This division is currently viewed as unneeded. It's been literally shuttered for the time being. If a purpose comes up for the use of it, they may try and restart this as a specialty house for genre-specific films, but for the most part of the coming decade don't count on it.



Marvel Studios - This new division will be it's own entity, like the Lamp, it will handle it's own films working from properties in its 5000+ character library.

It's interesting and amazing that for family films the company has reached out to its past to create and focus on film content. It's equally interesting and amazing that for it's other live-action films not under the Disney label it has reached out to the man that is considered the modern day Disney.

It will be interesting times/films to watch...

March Of The Runaways...

Run, run, run, runaway...



Everyone is wondering what the first film under a Disney/Touchstone banner would be...

With Marvel Studios agreement with Paramount Pictures, the next five films are supposed to be distributed by them. The fourth film in that list will be "Avengers," but it's not yet known what the fifth, and final film in that pact will be. Many thought that it would be "Iron Man 3," but I don't believe that will be the next one after Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With all the films in production, it's looking like the "Runaways" will be that fifth title. Unless there is something in the agreement they made that specified a third Iron Man would be part of the deal, it looks like this title could be the one. Because of all that is in development, this film is the closest to filming. Production Weekly recently tweeted that the film will begin production in March (after originally saying it would start in January).

It's going to be interesting to see what the last Paramount project is and the first Disney project turns out to be. Either way, come 2012/13 we will see the turnover of most of Marvel's production. Anything beyond that will be under the Mouse. Of course, we're not talking about Spider-Man, Ghost Rider (Sony), X-Men/Wolverine and Deadpool spin offs, Fantastic Four (Fox). Everything beyond these will be part of the Mouse's slate. Fox and Sony are scrambling to get films made, even ones that weren't big hits, because they don't want to lose the rights to these potentially lucrative franchises. Disney will hold them to the letter of the contract and the rival studios know that. The second those rights lapse you can expect the Disney/Marvel Suits to be in a planning session on how to integrate these characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Looking ahead, boldly going forward...

Iron Mouse...

Haaaaa Yaaaaa...




Chop, chop...
With each passing day we get a clearer picture of what the first films Marvel makes for the Mouse will be...

We know that they're developing "Runaways," "Doctor Strange" and possibly "Ant-Man," in addition to the sequels to "Captain America" and "Thor." Then if everything goes well, we're going to see a "S.H.I.E.L.D." film after the world becomes exposed to "Avengers."

Now comes word from Deadline Hollywood that Marvel has hired Rich Wilkes to write the screenplay adaptation of "Iron Fist" for a future theatrical debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character has been a popular second-tier character since his debut in the early 70's. Now, if this character makes some serious green for the Mouse, maybe we'll get to see one of my all time favorite, and least known characters: "Shang- Chi, Master of Kung Fu." I would love to see that film done faithfully to series in the theme of the early Gene Day days.

But I'm looking forward to seeing Danny Rand turn those hands of his into a weapon of total awesomeness...

Company Men...

Men in tights are all the rage in Tinsel Town right now...

There's a nice article in the Los Angeles Times about Marvel Studios and the new relationship with the Walt Disney Company now that the Mouse owns them. Interesting read.

Give it a glance...

A Horse Is A Horse...

Of course, of course...

It seems that Walt Disney Pictures' "Secretariat" trailer is online exclusively at Yahoo! Movies. Take a look and see if the movie looks like a winner.

We already know the horse was...

Future Mouse Tales...

So Rich Ross presented his vision of what the future of Walt Disney Pictures/Studios will be...

And it's a lot like what we've seen in the past. Very much so. Ross is definitely the showman that Cook was from what I'm hearing. Here are the cliff notes:

- As we've already stated, he announced that "Monsters Inc. 2" will be released on Nov. 16, 2012. Pete Docter is back on board as well as the actors playing Mike and Sully, but I forget their names.

- Andrew Stanton's live-action debut, "John Carter of Mars" is supposed to be out in 2012 but hasn't been slotted with a release date yet.

- Jason Segel will have a Muppet film that is loaded with cameos of celebrities just like previous films in the series.

- The trailer for "Tangled" was shown and is very similar to the one that was leaked online, but not exactly like it. There is a clear emphasis to try to play up the adventure for boys, and the name Tangled certainly does that. Uh hum...

- Strangely, or not I guess, Disney did some cross promotion for Paramount Pictures, "Captain America," "Thor" and "Avengers." I guess since all those sequels will be under the Mouse it's ok to mention the competition, huh?

- Johnny Depp and crew start shooting POTC 4 in late May/early June.

- Ross says he deep sixed the 20K prequel because it was "too dark," but didn't rule out bring it back at another time. I would have canned it because of any involvement with Will Smith personally. Dark doesn't bother me.

- Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" was talked about. I wonder if Johnny Depp will be involved?

- Pixar's "The Bear and the Bow" is now titled: "Brave" and will be released June 15, 2012. I guess that title was changed for the boys too, eh?

- They showed more of "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" at the event. A clip, yada, yada.

- Then there was a clip of "Secretariat" the horse opera, no I mean, the drama about horse racing. That's it, yeah. Again, another project of Dick's.

- The "Tron Legacy" trailer was shown, but again, nothing new. Ross, are you playing reruns or what?

Really it seems like here I am to show you all the stuff by the guy we fired. My question to Ross is what are you going to do? Because judging by this event, you are still on the coattails of Dick Cook.

I'll be back later to finish up any loose ends and add some commentary, maybe...

Avengers Assembled...

Avengers Go... Go!

Well, we finally know what the final Avengers cast is going to be now that the final piece is in place...

This was going to be posted last week, but things happen. And then the antibiotics kicked in. Really, I think 2012 is going to be a great year for film in general and Disney in particular. Why not Marvel? Well, it will be good for them as well, but even though "Avengers" is being distributed by Paramount, you can bet that the Mouse is rooting for them, because the Walt Disney Company/Walt Disney Pictures is going to be the one to truly benefit in the long run. Why can that be you might be wondering? Well, most (not all) of those actors are signed to multiple deals and presuming the film is a huge hit then you can expect a sequel(s). When a second adventure comes out with these fellas in tights you can bet that it's going to be under a Disney moniker, or a Touchstone one.

And that year is going to produce some interesting and exciting films that audiences are going to be drawn to. Andrew Stanton's highly awaited live-action directorial debut of "John Carter of Mars" will finally be seen. We may even get a "Superman" film depending on how fast things progress (although 2013 is the likelier result). Unless it's delayed again we can expect to see "The Lone Ranger" with his Indian sidekick Tonto Depp also. Sony will have their "Spider-Man 4" reboot, based on Ultimate Spider-Man that summer. A new "Star Trek" feature will be beaming into theaters about this time. A return journey to Middle Earth should be halfway through as the second part of "The Hobbit" gets released (presuming the sale of MGM doesn't delay production, of course). The Ron Howard/Tom Hanks "The Lost Symbol" should be boring audiences, I'm sorry, I meant boring me, by then as well. Should luck drop on us like a ton of bricks or perhaps a giant rolling ball, we may get a fifth Indiana Jones film (possibly in a wheel chair this time). The Bryan Singer produced "X-Men: First Class" will likely come out the year before so we could possibly have "X-Men 4" this year as an added bonus. Oh, and Walt Disney Animation Studios will have a picture out that year as well, and it won't feature a princess from all the pitches I've been hearing that Lasseter and Ed and Co. have been taking.

Several other films are still being determined, but you can see from this partial list that this will be a big, big year for film. Even though Disney won't be part of several of these films, they will profit from them since the characters starring in them are owned by them. I'm sure Bob Iger will ultimately want these films to fall under his own studio, but he seems more than willing to wait them out in a decade long game of patience. But for many pop culture geeks/comic book nerds/sci-fi devotees, "Avengers" will be numero uno.

So the Mouse will be rooting for a film that isn't even under it's studio to be a great hit for that summer. Because a giant blockbuster for Paramount in 2012 means an even more anticipated sequel under Disney in 2014/15. So 2012 can't get here any sooner for the Burbank Suits at Walt Disney Pictures and their long term plans.

There goes that year again...

Shielding Disney...

Fury, Nick Fury...


Go Joe! Errr, I mean Shield! Go Shield!

Remember how we mentioned that now that the Mouse owns Marvel, the powers that be have combed over the vast catalog of characters for stories to exploit...

There are several properties that have been approved (like XD's Avengers program and one other yet to be announced one) and many more that are in the concept and proposal phase. But one of the proposals for a film and possible television series could be an exciting project as well.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

After Paramount's deal with Marvel expires in 2012/13 the films that are released will come under Disney's moniker or it's Touchstone label. Several of the actors who have signed for roles have also signed agreements that could extend their characters/parts up to nine different appearances. Those appearances will almost definitely appear in films under Disney. Samuel L. Jackson is under one such an agreement as the Ultimates inspired, Nick Fury. No time table has been set as to when a Shield film would happen as it's in the early stages, or if Fury would play a major part, but the plans are going forward.

This being Hollywood, it doesn't mean it's a sure thing or if it will be one of the first films out of Disney's gate, but rest assured that Suits in Burbank are excited by the prospects of taking the secret organization and turning into an exploitable franchise set amongst multiple platforms (film, television, Internet, books, clothes, costumes, toys, gadgets, ect.). But think of this as of model of what Disney wants to do. Imagine this being the Mouse's version of what G.I. Joe could have been. Many see this as a possible franchise for massive profits to add to those Disney Vaults. Now saying that Fury would be in it is a given, but as I've said, it's still in an embryonic state and the talks as of now are about the agency itself. That way, once Jackson/Fury are long gone, the organization would go on. So other Marvel characters from Shield as well new ones created for films/series would be used.

In a never ending quest for that male demographic that has eluded Disney, this project could turn into the Holy Grail...

Disney's First Runaway Hit...

As the days pass we're going to see more and more Marvel news relating to Disney...

Later this year there are going to be stories and announcements for both television and theatrical as for Marvel characters that the Mouse wants to market for that all powerful "young males" sector of the nation/world. I expect to hear a good amount of stuff related to television (Disney XD, ABC, ect.), but the hunt is on for what properties Disney wants to make into theatrical films out of Marvels massive stable of characters. Everyone wants to know what will they chose to film, but particularly, what will they pick first.

Well, for that you have to go back and examine the distribution agreement between Marvel and Paramount Pictures that was announced just a couple years ago. The agreement was for five films following "Iron Man." With that films success, I'm sure that Paramount was hoping to extend it but with Disney's purchase of the comic book company those plans all evaporated. So what are those five films? First off is "Iron Man 2" released this coming May 7th, then "Thor" will be released May 6th the following year, "The First Avenger: Captain America" July 22, 2011, and culminating in "The Avengers" May 4, 2012. I know, that's four. Well, the fifth one is said to be the rights to "Iron Man 3," which means any hope of seeing a Robert Downey Jr. cast Shell Head film isn't going to happen. So, unless that film gets postponed then the production deal will be done. All other films of those characters and any other characters not leased out to Sony or Fox will be coming out under a Touchstone Pictures or a Walt Disney Pictures logo (or Hollywood Pictures).

So then what? Well, no one knows for sure as of yet, but the other day Allie Grant (Weeds), has a listing up of her bio that mentions she'll be appearing with Michael Shannon Marvel Studios film "Runaways." Now, there is some confusion as to whether this is the Joan Jett bio-pic "The Runaways" simply being confused for this film. No word yet on confirmation of this but there has been talk for sometime about turning this comic into a film. It would seem to attract the young market, particularly males, that Bob Iger wants to go after. I have an idea we'll probably know by summer what the future production slate of Marvel under Disney will be. And I bet some of those choices are going to be surprising and a few even shocking.

In a good way, of course...

A Ghost Of A Chance...

Things appear to be moving forward with the sequel another Marvel property...

David Goyer has been pretty loose with his lips lately about "Ghost Rider 2" and what the script will look like. Apparently it'll look a lot like his original script for the Hellrider. Which is a good thing. Goyer says the sequel will essentially be the original script he wrote with minor changes. One of the main ones is that there would be no need for an origin story. It's a really good script that I remember reading almost a decade ago. It's far better than the cheesy script that they wound up turning into the first film. Nicolas Cage's hammy role is quite different than Goyer's original take on the character.

Johnny Depp was rumored to be up for Johnny Blaze back then. This was years before he shot to stratospheric levels of fame playing Jack Sparrow. The tone of the script was a straight "R" and it'll probably be toned down a bit, but I wouldn't think much as most "PG-13" films would qualify with an "R" rating a decade or so ago. I think Sony has made a good move going this direction. Hopefully, this turns into the Ghost Rider film I wanted to see when I heard they were making one.

Time will tell...

Roger Rabbit Makes A Comeback...

All that speculation about a sequel to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" looks to finally be gathering some traction...

Robert Zemeckis has admitted in an interview with MTV Movie News that a screenplay is actually in development. Not only that, but the original screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman are working on it.

There wasn't a great deal of information besides this, but you can expect some MoCap to be in the film, although according to what Zemeckis has said earlier, 2D will still be 2D. The question that remains to be answered is will it have live action in it as well as animation or will it just be 2D/3D?

The director seems to be opening up and letting bits and pieces out ever so often. The fact that he's revealed work on the script has commenced could mean his next project after remaking "Yellow Submarine" could be working with the Rabbit again. After all these years will we finally get to see, Roger, Jessica and gumshoe Eddie Valiant?

And when would it take place? The 50's, 60's or the modern day? Being as Roger is from the 40's I don't think he'd be such a spring chicken around today. I mean, have you seen what an original print looks like after so much time has worn it down? He'd be tattered and torn, spliced together, but maybe that's what Zemeckis' intention. Personally, I think the 50's would be best, right there at the dawn of television. That was the end of shorts and would have meant the end of Roger's career. It'd be an interesting place to start the story, but that's just me.

Here's to hoping it's a great script and hoping it's on the fast track...

Bruckheimer and Disney's Shatter Union...

No, that headline isn't implying that Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney are severing their relationship...

Quite the opposite actually. The Bruck has been responsible for a good chunk of Disney's money over the past few years and there are all kinds of indications that that will continue for sometime into the future.

Bruckheimer has brought in J. Michael Straczynski to adapt a video game titled: "Shattered Union" for a theatrical film. The story is about the repercussions of what America looks like after a nuclear explosion destroys part of the east coast and the surviving states secede and form independent governments that battle for power and control over the continent. It sounds rather like Mad Max in America, to use a bit of high-concept speak.

We'll follow this to see how it progresses beyond a script, since directors and actors are going to help us determine where this project winds up. Will it be the silver screen or development hell? Only the line producer knows for sure.

Developing...

From The Creative Minds of Disney and Steven Spielberg...

Not...

It appears that Steven Spielberg has renegotiated his deal with Universal. While his relationship with Universal had changed now that he has a new home for the next six years at the Mouse instead of the Globe; it was known that his contract with Disney didn't include anything related to building theme park attractions. It's long been known that Spielberg had a deal with Uni where could buy him out. That deal comes dues soon, or would have. So many, myself included, speculated that he might possibly work with Disney being as they have the most famous theme park division in the world. Won't happen. Not for eight years at least.

According to Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood, the famous producer/director signed a deal that expires in 2017. Is it me or is it ironic that that date comes a couple years after his deal with the Walt Disney Studios expires (2014-15)? So, unless some further tiff comes up over the next few years you can expect not to see any collaboration between the two on Shanghai Disneyland or anything else with Disney's name on it. Of course, should Steven and Bob get along well and the deal gets an extension after the current deal expires, something could happen.

Just not in this deals lifetime...

The Pros & Cons Of A Cook...

With Rich Ross taking the spot Dick Cook has held for the better part of this decade, I thought we might take a look at the films that have been greenlit during his time at the top...

Now remember that this is clearly from the standpoint of Blue Sky Disney and I'm sure others will/can/should disagree. In coming up with this list I'm not necessarily mentioning films I like, but talking about films that were hits and made money. Remember, money is god in show business and there are no atheist in this town. Some will be a mixture of both, this isn't a science... it's opinion. Mine and only mine.

Dick Cook took the reigns of Walt Disney Studios in 2002, replacing Peter Schneider who had replaced Joe Roth in 1999. He's lasted longer than most studio suits, but unlike most executives in Hollywood, Cook was genuinely liked by almost everyone. A very, very rare thing in the film industry.

This will take in an account of many/most films that were greenlit during his tenure; I'm sure some will be missed but most will be mentioned. I'm not focusing on any that came out in 2002 because he just got there and nothing he approved would be out the pipeline until 2003 at the earliest. And these include all three labels of Walt Disney Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures. Miramax is a rebellious sibling that answered very little to the Chairman.

So without more excessive blathering let's focus on his good and bad choices...

The PRO's:

Tron Legacy
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (and its sequels)
Miracle
National Treasure (and its sequels)
The Pacifier
Sky High
Glory Road
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (not so much its sequel)
Invincible
Enchanted
A Christmas Carol
Old Dogs
Alice in Wonderland
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Frankenweenie
John Carter of Mars
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo (I'm crossing my fingers on this one)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (just pure speculation here based on the director)
When in Rome
The Proposal
Wild Hogs
Apocalypto
Deja Vu
The Prestige
Flightplan
Cinderella Man

The CON's:

The Haunted Mansion
Home on the Range
Around the World in 80 Days
Herbie Fully Loaded
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Eight Below
The Shaggy Dog
Underdog
The Game Plan
College Road Trip
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Bedtime Stories
Race to Witch Mountain
G-Force
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Miracle at St. Anna
Surrogates
Swing Vote
King Arthur
The Alamo
Hidalgo
Open Range
The Ladykillers
The Village
The Invisible

If you notice, there are several on the list that haven't yet come out and their slot on this list is a result of my own opinion mixed with the buzz I've heard as well as market speculation about how it appears the film will do.

Also not taken in to account are certain films from ImageMovers, Disneynature, DreamWorks and Disney's Double Dare You which were deals that Cook was intimately involved in putting together. As well, the Marvel deal is in the very early stages and since the ownership won't be finalized till the end of the year there really won't be much that would have the influence or involvement of Dick Cook.

So now that I've listed my take on the matter, I'm sure you'll give yours...

Bruckheimer Buys Shake...

The Hollywood Reporter is uhm, reporting that Jerry Bruckheimer has bought the noir-fiction story "Shake" from screenwriter Derek Haas for a future film through his deal with Disney (Touchstone, most likely).

Haas will write the screenplay, expanding it from the short story on Popcorn Fiction to a feature film. Bruckheimer, obviously will produce through his production shingle on the lot. The tale involves an FBI agent hunting down a killer as he slowly begins to lose the motor functions of his own body to a debilitating disease.

In related news, Bruckheimer has hired a writer to pen the script for an eventual "Bad Boys 3," which would reunite "The Bruck" with Michael Bay, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and crew. What a minute! Did they actually had writers on those first two films? Now that's a revelation to me. My opinion was that Bay would yell: "Action" and everything goes "BOOM!" and then he'd yell: "Cut!" at which point the credits would roll. Story? We don't need no stinkin' story!

Developing...

A Deppless Pirate Film For Disney...

Since all the new films that the newly reborn DreamWorks develops will be distributed by Disney this is ironic...

According to a USAToday article, Steven Spielberg is developing a Pirate film based on perhaps the last novel Michael Crichton did before his death entitled, "Pirate Latitudes." David Koepp is writing the adaption and Spielberg is producing with the possibility of directing it. The plot essentially is a "men on a mission" story wrapped in a pirate narrative about a group that tries to get into Port Royal and steal a Spanish galleon's treasure. It sounds a whole lot more exciting than Spielberg's remake of "Harvey."

Let's just hope the director isn't going through another "Hook Phase." He had a series of mostly forgettable pap before he finally did the trilogy of "Jurassic Park," "Schindler's List" and "Amistad" back to back. Although the last one was the weakest of the three, it clearly put Spielberg back on track after several years wandering around looking for creativity. Perhaps he may have found it with some pirate gold?

He certainly didn't find it looking for a Crystal Skull...

Making A Surrogate...

I've always liked stories that examine how we define what is real and what is illusion...

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference and other times you really don't want to know. IGN has posted a short, behind the scenes video that gives you a peek into the new Touchstone Pictures' "Surrogates" film and interviews with the actual surrogates themselves.

Take a look and see if there's a surrogate in your future...

Fun(ding) Times...

I meant to post this yesterday, but it was another case of life getting in the way...

Steven Spielberg's reincarnated DreamWorks and the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group announced that they've completed the first phase of funding for films for the new company. Which basically means they now have the money to move forward with a slate of films.

I've always assumed that the company will still be known as DreamWorks since the name is owned by Spielberg through Jeffrey Katzenberg, of course. He could essentially call it anything he wants but everyone believes it'll still be that name and they're probably right. I wish they'd call it something else simply because the name will be associated with the animation division and many people will assume that their animated films are by default Disney... which they're not. Here's a name for Spielberg to use free of charge: "Amblin." My two cents.

For those of you scratching your head as to how this is in any relation to Disney, hang on. The distribution deal for DreamWorks that expired/expires this year will now be handled by the Mouse. The deal with Paramount after it bought the company became a point of contention and the relationship became very stressful for all the movie moguls involved. A Hollywood divorce on a corporate scale was what happened and Spielberg's team went looking for a new partner. Universal was widely expected to be the suitor given Spielberg's longtime association with the company, when that didn't happen Disney found themselves in the position of new lover, so to speak. Lovers are temporary and disposable in Tinseltown so it's an appropriate name I believe. But basically that's the short and skinny of it. The first films as part of the agreement will appear sometime next year.

Of course, the theme park attractions will have to be negotiated at a later date...