One of the biggest stories of 2019 was the very public negotiations between Sony and Disney over the film rights to the Marvel hero, Spider-Man. After “Spider-Man: Far From Home” was released, the original deal between the studios was fulfilled and it appeared (for a month, at least) that Sony was going to work on its own Spidey films without Marvel Studios’ help.

Continue reading ‘Spider-Man’ & The MCU: Sony Boss Is Hopeful Another Deal With Disney Is On The Horizon at The Playlist.

When the average film fan thinks about powerhouse studios, the big names like Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. all come to mind. However, there are other, smaller studios that still have quite a bit of impact on the industry, including A24 and Fox Searchlight. And in the case of the latter, it appears that, even with the recent purchase by Disney, Fox Searchlight is going to keep being the awards season powerhouse moving forward.

Continue reading Disney Exec Promises All Fox Searchlight Films Will Continue To Get Theatrical Releases at The Playlist.

After a couple of delays and a ton of hype, the James Cameron-produced and Robert Rodriguez-directed action film “Alita: Battle Angel” arrived in theaters earlier this year. The reception to the film was mixed with only a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, but fans that enjoyed the film really enjoyed it. There was even a campaign to encourage folks to see ‘Alita’ instead of “Captain Marvel” (both were playing at the same time).

Continue reading ‘Alita’ Star Rosa Salazar Wants A Sequel & Encourages Fans To Buy Blu-Rays To Force Disney Into Making It at The Playlist.

James Gunn has had a hell of a year. After riding high as one of the foremost directors in the superhero genre, thanks to his ‘Guardians’ films, Gunn came under fire in 2018 after old, offensive tweets resurfaced. He was swiftly fired by Disney from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and seemingly sent to director’s jail. Then it was announced that the filmmaker was making a comeback with WB’s “The Suicide Squad,” which was then followed by the announcement that Disney re-hired Gunn for his third ‘Guardians’ film.

Continue reading James Gunn Says He Doesn’t Blame Anyone For ‘Guardians’ Dismissal: “Disney Totally Had The Right To Fire Me” at The Playlist.

$1.2 billion. One. Point. Two. Billion. Dollars. Welcome to the absolutely bonkers world of box office reporting in the era of “Avengers: Endgame.”

We all knew this weekend was going to be massive. But even our wildest expectations didn’t brace box office nerds for the reality. “Avengers: Endgame” arrived and, as expected, was the biggest film release of all-time (in just about every way). The shocking part is just how massive the film’s debut truly was.

Continue reading ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Smashes Every Record On Its Way To $1.2 Billion Worldwide [Box Office] at The Playlist.

LAS VEGAS – Walt Disney Studios probably didn’t plan on making any news at their first CinemaCon presentation since acquiring 20th Century Fox, but it happened anyway. No, the studio didn’t show any footage from “Star Wars: Episode IX,” “Frozen 2” or James Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar” sequels. They didn’t date any new Marvel Studios films or explain how the X-Men would be incorporated into the MCU.

Continue reading Disney: More ‘Deadpool’ On The Way & ‘New Mutants’ Still On Release Schedule? at The Playlist.

UPDATED: James Gunn released a statement about the news, found at the bottom of the original article.

Holy shit.

Like, seriously. Holy shit.

Disney has hired James Gunn to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Let’s pause for a moment and allow that news to sink in.

Okay, we’re back. According to Deadline, the Mouse House saw the error of its ways and decided (as did just about every other person on the planet) that James Gunn is the only person that can rightfully direct ‘Guardians 3.’ This decision came after Alan Horn, president of Walt Disney Studios, met up with the director on several occasions to discuss the incident that led to his firing.

Continue reading James Gunn Reinstated As The Director Of Marvel Studios’ ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ [Updated With Gunn’s Statement] at The Playlist.

Okay, for real this time. According to Variety, Disney is definitely not rehiring James Gunn for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and will now begin the search for his replacement.

Not even the combined force of the cast of the film and Marvel Studios, led by Kevin Feige, was enough to dissuade Alan Horn from his decision.

Continue reading Disney Makes Final Decision To Not Rehire James Gunn After “Courtesy” Meeting at The Playlist.

In rather shocking and surprising news today, James Gunn, director of Marvel’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy” franchise, was fired from the series by Disney when old tweets of poor taste, provocative jokes about pedophilia and rape were discovered online.

READ MORE: James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ After Controversial Tweets Were Discovered

Before any decision was made, and when the controversy was rapidly metastasizing, Gunn apologized on Twitter but has now released a post-dismissal statement.

Continue reading James Gunn Issues Statement About ‘Guardians’ Firing: “I Accept” Disney’s Decision at The Playlist.

UPDATE: Gunn will not be taking part in Sony’s Hall H panel this evening, as planned (via Variety).

Original story follows…

In a shocking turn of events, even without a massive presence at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios has somehow managed to steal headlines with the news that filmmaker James Gunn, known for his first two massive “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, has been fired from the third installment by Disney.

Continue reading James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ After Controversial Tweets Were Discovered at The Playlist.

BURBANK – Walt Disney Studios did something on Wednesday night that’s slightly unusual in Hollywood. They celebrated the renovation of the Walt Disney Animation Studios (building) with an evening reception. Normally, this sort of event would be held during the daytime and likely just for employees. Maybe there would be some sweets and non-alcoholic drinks, but that would be it. In this case, however, the changes studio president Ed Catmull and chief creative officer John Lasseter have overseen dictated a higher profile soiree.

Continue reading John Lasseter Makes Celebrating Renovated Walt Disney Animation Studios A Priority at The Playlist.

At ShoWest, which is a film business gathering — not a flashers’ convention — WB head Alan Horn confirmed that they would fill the annual slot in their tentpole schedule sans “Potter” with a flood of superhero pictures.

Continue reading ‘The Flash’ And Other DC Heroes To Replace Harry Potter? at The Playlist.

First off, it sounds like the Batman franchise will take a break and won’t be back in theaters anytime soon. Ok, Horn doesn’t say break explicitly, but it’s heavily implied that there will be no rush.

Continue reading WB Chief Says: Nolan’s Batman Franchise Will Not Rush Itself, Green Lantern May Be The Next D.C. Comics Property To Hit Screens at The Playlist.

At the end we were like, “Wtf?

Continue reading Crime Pays? Guy Ritchie’s ‘RockNRolla’ Getting Solid Reviews Despite Its Lock And Stock Cliches at The Playlist.

Films titles that came up in contention, deemed worthless enough to be sold were Guy Ritchie’s “Rock N Rolla” (too British apparently), “Pride and Glory” starring Ed Norton and Colin Farrell (too NYPD-bluey evidently) and Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” (too everything, hold that thought).

Continue reading Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ First Film Co-Bought In Warner Bros. Movie Firesale at The Playlist.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Chief Responds To Angry Harry Potter Fans; Becomes Most Hated Movie Exec Alive at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guy Ritchie Talking ‘Rock N Rolla’ Sequel Again, But Can It Perform Well Enough To Qualify For One? at The Playlist.

Warner Brothers and DC both realize that they are lagging behind Marvel, who seems to put out multiple projects each year, and recently held some meetings with the intention of assembling a strategy on releasing films based on their other popular characters like Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and the other members of the Justice League.

Continue reading ‘Justice League’ Movie Essentially Dead, For Now…. at The Playlist.

Goeztman might have been there to promote the upcoming “City of Ember,” but CHUD was wise enough to sneak in a few ‘Wild Things’ questions, the biggest revelation of which is that director Spike Jonze apparently has final cut on the film – something many have wondered and questioned all this time.

Continue reading Worry Not? Spike Jonze Has Final Cut On ‘Where The Wild Things Are’… Probably… at The Playlist.