Tag Archives: Disney

George Lucas approves Abrams as new ‘Star Wars’ director

February 19, 2013   Ebonne Young   No comments

Photo credit: screenrant.com

Disney has confirmed that J.J. Abrams, the Star Trek filmmaker and co-creator of TV’s Lost and Fringe, will direct Star Wars: Episode VII. The film is a first of a new series of movies to be released from Lucasfilm under the leadership of producer Kathleen Kennedy. Kennedy has also confirmed that Abrams was an ideal choice, stating that “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

Tentatively scheduled for a 2015 release, Episode VII marks the “passing of the torch” from Star Wars creator George Lucas to Abrams. This will also be the first movie coming out of Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm last fall.

Read more at USA Today

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Netflix to stream Disney, Pixar and Marvel starting in 2016

December 08, 2012   Chelsie Gastright   No comments

 

Photo credit Emily Carter/CNN Money; Thinkstock

Netflix aims a hard-hitting blow at pay-TV site Starz after obtaining the rights to stream Walt Disney Studio films starting in 2016. The three-year contract will put Netflix in the running with other well-known pay-TV sites, such as HBO and Showtime.

On top of Disney, Netflix has also gained the rights to both Pixar and Marvel films. Luckily, Disney fans may not have to wait four years until seeing their favorite animated classics.

Netflix has been given the non-exclusive rights to add certain movies as soon as possible, which include titles such as “Dumbo,” “Pocahontas” and “Alice In Wonderland,” according to LA Times.

While it may seem unclear exactly how much Netflix will benefit from the addition of these timeless classics, Disney is seeing immediate effects. Reuters reported that Disney will be collecting a grand total of $350 million per year from Netflix.

Along with the future movie additions, the site is also working on a variety of television series all their own. This includes an original thriller titled “Lilyhammer.”

“Lilyhammer” is about an ex-mobster who checks himself into a witness protection program in Norway, and it will star the “Sopranos” actor Steven Van Zandt as the ex-mobster.

With Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and a variety of original new series a part of their 2016 line-up, it is only a matter of time before Netflix is seeing the benefits of their new contract.

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Disney-Youtube to Partner Up for Co-Branded Channel

November 11, 2011   Meagan Cahuasqui   1 Comment

Last month Youtube, the popular video streaming website, teamed up with equally popular search engine Google to create about 100 TV channels that features celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Madonna, and Jay-Z among others.  This move was made as an attempt to be the next big trend in TV services.

Now, the Walt Disney Company has made a similar move.  Disney Interactive joined forces with Youtube to create its own family-friendly channel.  The channel will include current Disney Channel programming, other Disney created original works, and even non-Disney videos that already exist on Youtube that coincide with the family-friendly concept.

If you are already a member of the Disney online community, you will be able to post your own creations as well to the channel.  The first project set to launch though is a web series based off the mobile game “Where’s My Water?” featuring Swampy, its main character.

There has not been an officially released statement of how much the plan is worth, but it is speculated to be between $10 and $15 million.

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