Last night, The Walt Disney Company reported its first quarter earnings of 2024 on Wednesday, and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger dropped many bombs and surprise announcements. “Moana 2” is coming later this year, “Toy Story 5” and “Frozen 3” are coming in 2026, Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert doc is coming to Disney+ in March, and so much more.

Continue reading Bob Iger Says Marvel Will Have “Reduced Volume & Output” & Claims Studio “Lost Focus” at The Playlist.

What many saw as inevitable has finally come to pass. During the company’s annual earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the Walt Disney Company will roll out a singular streaming app by the end of 2023. This app will combine content from Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. It is assumed the three individual apps would cease, but Iger did not explicitly confirm this.

READ MORE: Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company is being “very careful” with future “Star Wars” movies and there’s nothing “inherently off” with Marvel as a brand

Iger noted this was a “logical progression of our DTC offerings.” Overseas, most Disney+ subscribers already have access to Hulu offerings under the Star brand or simply integrated into the app itself.

Continue reading Confirmed: Hulu & Disney+ To Combine By Year’s End at The Playlist.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal that Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney/Marvel alleges that the studio breached their contract with their hybrid release, adding “Black Widow” to Premier Access on Disney+ alongside a traditional domestic theatrical release. Reportedly, Johansson could have lost potential bonuses in the $50 million range by nixing a proper theatrical window.

READ MORE: ‘Black Widow’: Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over Breach Of Contract Due To Streaming Release; May Lose $50 Million In Bonuses

Business Insider was one of the many outlets that published Disney’s statement regarding the lawsuit.

Continue reading Disney Says Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit Has “No Merit”; Kevin Feige Reportedly “Angry & Embarrassed” at The Playlist.

A huge relief was felt in Burbank this morning after Comcast announced it was pulling out of a high stakes bidding war for most of 21st Century Fox’s assets to focus on a separate transaction for UK broadcaster Sky.

In a simple statement the company noted, ““Comcast does not intend to pursue further the acquisition of the Twenty-First Century Fox assets and, instead, will focus on our recommended offer for Sky.”  This paves the way for the Walt Disney Company to bring 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, FX, NatGeo and a controlling interest in Hulu into the fold.  

Continue reading Comcast Pulls Out Of Fox Bidding Clearing Way For Disney Acquisition at The Playlist.

It’s never to late to jump on the “peak TV” bandwagon and when your potential new overlord is looking for streaming content you might say it’s right on time.  So it wasn’t that big a surprise that Fox Searchlight announced today its forming a television division to take advantage of two decades of Oscar-winning talent relationships.

Longtime execs David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield who have been promoted to Presidents of Production for Film and Television effective immediately, adding Searchlight Television to their current responsibilities including all aspects of production for the company. 

Continue reading Fox Searchlight Starts TV Division With Disney Merger Pending at The Playlist.

Excuse us for perpetrating this proverb as the hills of Los Angeles are currently glowing in the distance, but where there’s smoke, there is often fire. The reports earlier this week of renewed conversations between the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox make it seem like a deal between the entertainment conglomerates is more likely than it was first rumored almost six weeks ago.  And as talks continue and details are leaked about the transaction, many in the media are speculating on what Disney acquiring the 20th Century Fox film studio, FX, other Fox cable channels and, potentially, Fox Sports‘ regional networks would mean.

Continue reading 16 Big Questions On A Seemingly Inevitable Disney Acquisition Of 20th Century Fox at The Playlist.

When Disney Chief Bob Iger gets on a quarterly business call with his shareholders, the CEO tends to drop some juicy info to keep them excited in their investments. Today he dropped at least two bombs and the call is ongoing. The first, as you’ve likely read just minutes ago, Rian Johnson is going to develop and direct a new “Star Wars” trilogy set outside the Luke Skywalker trilogy. It will feature all new characters and is expected to arrive sometime after 2020.

Continue reading ‘Star Wars’ Live-Action Series Is Coming To Disney’s Streaming Services For 2019 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.