Disney branded television

Disney is moving back closer to how things used to be run on the content side with the creation of a new Disney Entertainment unit that will encompass TV and film. This new corporate division, which will sit separate to ESPN and the Parks, Experiences & Products unit, will be led by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman . The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger just revealed the new structure on the company’s latest earnings call, as part of a “ significant transformation ” at the company that he said would “maximize the potential of our world-class creative teams”. It officially dismantles Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, created by former CEO Bob Chapek and run by Kareem Daniel, who left last year. This unit separated the the way content and distribution decisions were made and took decision making power away from the creative teams. “Our new structure is aimed at returning greater authority to our creative leaders, and making them accountable for how … [Read more...] about Dana Walden & Alan Bergman To Oversee New Disney Entertainment Unit

UPDATED with closing stock price: Disney stock closed at $86.75 a share, down more than 13% as investors punished the company for its disappointing quarterly earnings report and weak earnings forecast. The single-day plunge was the biggest for Disney shares since the onset of Covid in the U.S. in March 2020, when it also fell 13%. The shares have fallen more than 43% in 2022 to date, compared with a drop of less than 10% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. PREVIOUS: Disney stock has fallen more than 11% today on double its normal trading volume, as investors recalibrate their expectations in light of a shaky quarterly earnings report. At $88.53, Disney shares were at their lowest point since they dipped into the $80s for a couple of trading days during Covid lockdowns in March 2020. Prior to that, the last time the stock closed at or below $86.75 was in 2015. Bears seized on the company’s much-lower-than-expected profit forecast as well as a significant … [Read more...] about Disney Stock Plunges 13% To New Multi-Year Low On Earnings Miss, Weak Profit Outlook – Update

Disney is reorganizing its sprawling businesses under three core segments — Entertainment, ESPN and Parks , Experiences & Products — as CEO Bob Iger moves to restructure the company. The move follows his dismantling of DMED , or Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, set up by previous CEO Bob Chapek , that wrested control over content decisions by the company’s creative executives. Now we know what the new structure will look like. It’s aimed at returning creative authority to Disney’s “world-class creative team” and its “unparalleled brands and franchises,” he said during a conference call following the company’s first-quarter earnings report. The reorganization is a key element of a transformation that he said also will help rationalize the streaming business for sustained growth and profitability and reducing expenses in a world of increased competition and global economic challenges. The DTC business, except for ESPN+ , will be under … [Read more...] about Disney Reorganizes Into Three Segments, Entertainment, ESPN & Parks

Animated sequels to Toy Story , Frozen and Zootopia are in the works, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on today’s Q1 earnings call. “Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia ,” Iger said. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.” The news came in the wake of some sour news, read a $5.5 billion cost savings by the conglomerate across all divisions and 7,000 jobs getting cut at Disney. RELATED: Disney Earnings Report & Reorganization – Full Coverage The most recent installments of those animated franchises were huge global grossing hits on the big screen: Frozen 2 ($1.45 billion in 2019), Pixar’s Toy Story 4 ($1.07 billion in 2019) and Zootopia ($1.02 billion in 2016). Franchise sequels work, duh. … [Read more...] about ‘Frozen‘, ’Toy Story’ & ‘Zootopia’ Sequels In The Works, Disney CEO Bob Iger Says

EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Hemingway has a sweet tooth about a very serious subject. The Emmy-winning director and his Anthony Hemingway Productions shingle has joined the documentary Sugar Daddy as a producer. Directed by long time cinematographer Michael Cooke and executive producer Anthony J Davis, Sugar Daddy focuses on the devastating health consequences of sugar overconsumption targeted at Black Americans. Currently raising preliminary funds through an online campaign and working with healthcare veterans, the  film is scheduled to start production this summer. To put the stakes in perspective, sugar overconsumption is the #1 cause of diabetes, which Black Americans are diagnosed with 60% more than adult White Americans. “I founded Anthony Hemingway Productions to tell stories that have the power to galvanize a community, educate people, and change lives,” Hemingway told Deadline today. “That’s what we plan to do as we investigate and highlight the … [Read more...] about Anthony Hemingway Boards ‘Sugar Daddy’ Docu With Director Michael Cooke & EP Anthony J. Davis

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Sarah Rothschild , the writer of the Netflix movie Sleepover, will be writing the latest draft of Disney/Imagine/Free Association’s Splash remake. Deadline first told you about the remake back in 2016 with the 22 Jump Street and Inherent Vice actress attached. The original Splash in 1984 was a huge hit for Disney at a near $70M stateside, the first of its adult-demo features released at the time under its Touchstone label, and the first major hit for director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer which led to the creation of their Imagine in November 1985. The original starred Tom Hanks and Darryl Hanna as a man and a mermaid, respectively, who fall in love after being reunited years after she saved his life as a boy. Marja-Lewis Ryan wrote an earlier draft of the Splash remake. Rothschild, an award-winning screenwriter, recently adapted The Love Hypothesis for MRC and Elizabeth Cantillon and wrote 24/7 – a modern day take … [Read more...] about ‘Splash’ Redo With Jillian Bell Sets ‘Sleepover’s Sarah Rothschild As Scribe

EXCLUSIVE : Avantika ( Senior Year ), Christopher Briney ( The Summer I Turned Pretty ) and Bebe Wood ( Love, Victor ) have landed major roles in Paramount Pictures’ film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway hit, Mean Girls , which is itself based on the classic Paramount comedy of the same name. The actors join an ensemble for the Paramount+-bound feature that also includes Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey, as previously announced. The original film adapted by Tina Fey from the Rosalind Wiseman book Queen Bees and Wannabes follows high school new girl Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) in her attempt to fit in with A-list girl clique, The Plastics. The effort is sabotaged when she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George. Premiering on stage at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre in 2017 and jumping to Broadway the following year, the Mean Girls musical was also written by Fey, with … [Read more...] about ‘Mean Girls’: Avantika, Christopher Briney & Bebe Wood Board Paramount Film Based On Tony-Nominated Musical Adaptation

Recent Grammy winner Bad Bunny , Christina Aguilera and Jeremy Pope will be honored at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards next month for advancing and supporting the LGBTQ community. Bad Bunny — Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world last year — will receive the Vanguard Award for having made “a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Five-time Grammy winner Aguilera will receive the Advocate for Change Award for having “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” And Pose alum and two-time Tony nominee Pope will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for having made “a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Read bios for all three below. The awards show will be handed during the March 30 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. RELATED: 2023 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Guilds & More Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the … [Read more...] about GLAAD Media Awards: Bad Bunny, Christina Aguilera & Jeremy Pope Set For Honors