Disney tries to distract from 7k layoffs
And live-action 'Spider-Man' series on the way
What to know
Disney planning new Frozen, Toy Story, Zootopia sequels, Avatar land in Disneyland… How do you counteract the negative press that comes with announcing 7,000 layoffs? Give consumers more of what they like. Pay no attention to extreme job cuts, we’re giving you more Elsa, Woody, and talking animals. That’s clearly Bob Iger’s strategy here as he teased further installments of the Mouse’s most successful animated franchises. The fact that Toy Story is going on movie 5 is absurd, that’s entering Fast & the Furious territory — especially when 3 was a perfect ending (but that’s neither here nor there.) As for Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2, I’m shocked it took Disney this long to announce them. And with Avatar coming to Disneyland, I better never hear about James Cameron’s franchise having no cultural impact ever again. 🏰
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Spider-Man Noir live-action series coming to Amazon… I’ve recently been wondering what Amazon’s streaming strategy is? Well, it’s clear Prime Video is going for the biggest IP it can get its hands on and this is just the latest in what will be a series of shows using Sony’s Spider-Man IP. Set in its own universe and not featuring Peter Parker, this series “will follow an older, grizzled superhero in 1930s New York City.” I think this is a fantastic idea and could be a really intriguing show if done well. Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Marvel’s phase 4 have made audiences comfortable with the idea of a multiverse, so why not continue to explore fringe stories and different genres within comic bookdom. Disney could honestly learn a thing or two from this. 🕷
Bob Iger is open to selling Hulu… Disney has quite a predicament with Hulu. Its options are buy out Comcast for a giant sum, sinking even more money into streaming, or try and sell it and be forced to divorce all of its more adult, FX, and ABC content therein. This Puck piece goes into great detail about Iger’s Hulu dilemma. Hulu as its own thing, with its very different brand identity from Disney+, is a valuable asset for the company, but Iger, like every other media CEO, is looking to save money and increase revenue wherever possible. What to do, what to do. 🐭
Jon Hamm and Tina Fey thriller Maggie Moore(s) getting stateside theatrica release… And it’s directed by John Slattery! What’s interesting is this is being billed as a domestic true-crime thriller, that at least according to Deadline’s article, doesn’t seem to be very comedic — which is not what comes to mind immediately when I think Hamm and Fey, but I don’t hate it! Hamm, coming off Confess, Fletch, is once again playing a detective, because of course he is. Nick Mohammed and Mary Holland are also in the film, which is still not a comedy? I’m confused. 🔪
David O. Russell casts Keke Palmer and Sacha Baron Cohen in 1970s toy salespeople movie… Hopefully it’s better than Amsterdam. 🧸
Emmys to air on Fox on Monday Sept 18… Monday award shows will never not be weird to me. 🏆
Hospital comedy in the works at NBC from American Auto duo… They should call it Scrubs. 👩⚕️
John Travolta parodies Grease song with Zach Braff and Donald Faison in new T-Mobile Super Bowl ad… Speaking of which. 🫰
Craig Ferguson launching podcast… I’m shocked he didn’t have one already. 🎙
What’s new
All That Breathes — Feb 7 | HBO Oscar-nominated documentary | 🍅 100%
Your Place or Mine — Feb 10 | Netflix romcom movie | 🍅
Magic Mike’s Last Dance — Feb 10 | Dance comedy-drama in theaters | 🍅 50%
Super Bowl LVII — Feb 12 | Sports event on Fox
Returning: You s4, Harley Quinn Valentine’s Day special
What to watch
Trailer: Air - Apr 5 in theaters
Directed by Ben Affleck, written by Alex Convery, Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
I’m a little disappointed in this trailer. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe something flashier and more original? Instead, Affleck seems to be delivering a smaller, straightforward backstage drama that mostly takes place in an office? I have no doubt that the story he and Damon are choosing to tell here (especially for their big reunion) is an interesting and worthy one, but judging by this trailer the beats of it seem pretty predictable and unoriginal. Maybe that’s because we already know how Nike and the Air Jordan turns out? (Very successful.) Is that cutting the dramatic tension? Hopefully, the movie itself gives us more insight into the characters beyond just here’s what happened with a thing you already kind of knew about. That said, Affleck has assembled an A+ cast who I can’t wait to see cook together. So at least he’s got that going for him.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!