Being the market leader of all things entertainment, Disney is in the spotlight as the public conjectures on what it’ll bring next to our homes and theatres.
However, things are currently a little shaky for the corporate giant as it stares down a massive lawsuit on its most recent blockbuster endeavour, while seeming to vacillate on future big- and small screen projects. Catch up on the major details below.
Spicy Details About James Mangold’s “Dawn Of The Jedi”
It’s been a long time since we’ve last had a proper “Star Wars” film. And though the main saga has wrapped up, that hasn’t stopped Disney from creating various spin-off series for us to enjoy. Despite being drip-fed “Star Wars” content in the form of spin-off series, isn’t it time that we received a major movie release? Not only that, but it has been two years since we found out that James Mangold (director of “Logan,” Le Mans ‘66,” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) will be directing a new movie set in a galaxy far, far away. People are itching to get something new.
After long years of radio silence, we’ve finally received some spicy tea about the upcoming sci-fi epic. While speaking to MovieWeb ahead of the release of the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” Mangold revealed the setting of his next Star Wars film. According to the seasoned director, he has been meticulously setting the perfect time period for his story so he can avoid triggering the toxic fandom discourse that might shoot the film in the foot before it even has a chance to run.
In order to avoid the issue of ruining established canon, he decided to instead set the upcoming film 25,000 years before “Episode IV.” He explains that “it’s an area and a playground that I’ve always [wanted to explore] and that I was inspired by as a teenager; I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable, and you can’t please anybody.”
And honestly speaking, he’s right. Though projects such as “The Book of Boba Fett,” “The Rise of Skywalker,” and “The Acolyte” ranged from mediocre to outright garbage, there is no denying that the fandom surrounding the beloved franchise is becoming more and more toxic with every installment and spin-off series. It is often this fandom that ruins the experience for any other fan or those who want to be a part of the franchise as a whole.
Obviously, as the name suggests, “Dawn of the Jedi” will largely explore the discovery of the Force as well as the birth of the order or cult, depending on your point of view, that grew to worship it. In the interview with Empire, Mangold explains that he wishes to create a film similar to Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” in an order of magnitude that remains to be seen. Unfortunately, the film has not received a slot in the timeline just yet, but you can expect us to be right on it the moment this is announced.
Disgruntled Animator Sues Disney Over “Moana 2” For Copyright Infringement
Let’s be honest – when you’re an industry powerhouse whose main method of creating revenue is taking iconic old stories and giving them a new version, while also privatising said new version, you’re bound to fight a lawsuit or two. Since its big break, Disney has been fighting or paying off various cases to stay afloat, but it’s rare to see one of their more original works come under fire, let alone from a former collaborator.
Disney’s hit sequel to the 2016 original, “Moana 2,” is at the centre of a very heated copyright infringement lawsuit. The case originated from an animator, Buck Woodall, who claims that former Mandeville Films development director Jenny Marchick (known for her contribution to “Hotel Transylvania” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”) violated his copyright by secretly passing Disney materials that he had gathered for her two decades ago. The materials in question are actually the foundation of what would later become “Moana” and “Moana 2.”
In the suit, the animator claims that he delivered to Marchick “extremely large quantities of intellectual property and trade secrets” related to a project that was then known as “Bucky” and “Bucky the Wave Warrior” back in 2003 and 2008. These materials ranged from completed screenplay, character illustrations, budgets, a fully animated concept trailer, storyboards, background image references, and more. Woodall would also receive copyright protection on these materials in 2004 that was recently updated in 2014.
However, this begs the question: why did Woodall only file a case last Friday (10th January), when Disney has already squeezed out two films about the IP? The reason being that a court ruling back in November prevented Woodall from bringing an identical suit against the 2016 film because it simply came in too late. The reason why it came out only recently is because he is now aiming for the sequel, though his suit mentions both the original and the fresh installment.
Though “Bucky” was never developed and thus never saw the light of day, Woodall claims that he was able to pass his creation to Disney by exploiting legal loopholes inherent to the “tapestry of confusion,” which is prominent in Disney’s elaborate corporate structure. Furthermore, according to Woodall, not only did “Bucky” become “Moana” without any prior notice or consent, it also became the basis for its sequel as well.
From there, the animator enumerated all similarities found in his “Bucky” script to the Disney hit films. One of the major similarities Woodall cited was the plot of “Bucky,” where it follows a teenager on a voyage in an outrigger canoe across Polynesian waters to save Polynesian land. It features the region’s spiritual belief system, where the ancestors manifest as animal guides. There are also various numbers of specifics, such as symbolic necklaces, celestial navigation, lava goddesses, and giant entities disguised as mountainous islands.
The suit also claims that “Moana 2” had some details lifted from Woodall’s work, namely rooster and pig companions, breaking a curse, oceanic portals in the form of whirlpools, and an encounter with the Kakamora warrior tribe.
Woodall claims in the new suit that Disney failed to deliver any and all documents requested in the prior suit. However, Disney did submit various documents relating to the original film, ranging from story ideas, screenplay drafts, research notes, and even pitch material. Entertainment Weekly reached out to Disney representatives but did not immediately respond when asked for comments.
All in all, the disgruntled animator is seeking 2.5% of “Moana”’s gross revenue as damages, which is equivalent to US$10 billion, and a court order affirming his copyright and barring further infringement. If this goes through, “Moana 2” might be the last time we see our favourite Polynesian princess.
