Disney Headlines for November 18th, 2022
This past week, Disney canceled Harley Quinn’s pirate movie and introduced a new Black Panther.
We’ve got two movie-based Disney Headlines to discuss.
Photo: simplemost.com
Harley Quinn Sounds Mad
Do you believe in coincidence? I ask because DC Studios recently poached director James Gunn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Well, that technically happened a while ago, as Gunn created the 2021 box office bomb, The Suicide Squad, followed by the modestly successful Peacemaker on HBO Max.
Photo: CNET.com
However, Gunn later reunited with Disney to create The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Gunn has since accepted the job as the new creative leader for the DC Universe, a strange turn of events for someone with two upcoming Marvel titles.
Photo: wikipedia/ Gary Frank
Some would argue that this DC move is a counter to something that previously happened.
Disney had coaxed Harley Quinn herself, Margot Robbie, to star in a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Image: Movieweb
In fact, Disney’s goal here was simple. The company wanted to reconfigure the Pirates franchise with a female lead.
As one of the most famous people in the world right now, Robbie seemed like the ideal casting.
Still, the original announcement surprised many because it sounded…familiar.
Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
What Happened to Robbie’s Pirate Movie?
Disney had previously indicated it would make a different Pirates movie, one based on the Redd character from the ride.
Suddenly, Disney had started pre-production on two different female empowerment Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Photo: YouTube
Nobody expected them to make both, and it sounds like Disney settled on Redd. Here’s a clearly disappointed Robbie describing what has happened:
“We had an idea and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led—not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story—which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it.”
Photo: Polygon
As a superfan of the Harley Quinn show on HBO Max, my only comment here is that I wouldn’t make this clown mad. She’s got a violent streak.
All kidding aside, rumors of a Redd the Pirate movie grew in prominence two years ago. Since then, we haven’t heard much, though.
Photo: justjared.com
Meanwhile, the actor best known for playing Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp, has gone through some high-profile legal matters.
Part of me expects an announcement on the development of Redd’s movie in the coming year.
Photo: Disney
Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney stayed away from Pirates films altogether until it has some distance from Depp’s legal woes.
Robbie’s project may have fallen victim to terrible timing here. She was competing with a different female-centric story AND Depp’s negative publicity.
Photo: Getty Images
I’m bummed because I’ve been on the Margot Robbie bandwagon since the ABC series Pan Am and would have loved her as a pirate with heroic tendencies.
Wakanda Forever Dominates
Despite shaky tracking and low early ticket sales numbers, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever claimed a massive opening weekend.
Photo: StillMoving.net for Disney
The Black Panther sequel earned $181 million, making it the second-largest domestic debut of 2022. What’s the only film ahead of it?
That answer is Marvel’s Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So, if anyone tries to tell you that the MCU is slipping, slap them around with #Facts.
Photo: Disney Wiki
More importantly, director Ryan Coogler created a great movie. Wakanda Forever is currently 84 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes after more than 325 reviews.
Even more impressively, the sequel’s audience score is 95 percent. When 19 out of every 20 viewers like your movie, it’s good.
Photo: StillMoving.net for Disney
Reinforcing that notion, Black Panther 2 also managed an A Cinemascore. So, based on all the information we have, it should perform exceptionally well in theaters.
Disney has done the impossible here by earning nearly as much money with Black Panther 2 as the original, which opened to $202 million. Let’s talk about why.
Photo: StillMoving.net for Disney
The Drama Surrounding Wakanda Forever
This feels like a good time to look back on the nightmarish Wakanda Forever production to appreciate what Disney has accomplished.
Also, this entire series of events feels like a vital reminder about the underlying popularity of Wakanda as a franchise/source of inspiration.
Photo: NY Times
The same week that Coogler finished the first script for Black Panther 2, actor Chadwick Boseman, the face of the franchise, tragically died of cancer.
Boseman was 43 when he succumbed to colon cancer, leaving behind legions of broken-hearted fans.
Photo: NY Times
To them (and me), the actor had become a symbol of nobility, strength, and courage.
Marvel faced a heartbreaking proposition. The team had to create a Black Panther sequel without the Black Panther himself.
Photo: Variety
Then, the pandemic forced production delays and other setbacks. The worst of them occurred when Letitia Wright, T’Challa’s sister, suffered a devastating injury.
The actress required months of rehab in her home country, England. After that, there were questions about whether she would even return to the United States…or wanted to do so.
Photo: Glamour.com
I can’t even blame her. Early reports underrated the significance of her injuries. We later learned she’d shattered a shoulder blade and suffered a severe concussion.
Wright’s situation forced numerous rewrites and triggered rumors that Marvel may select someone else to become the Black Panther.
Photo: Marvel
That was notable since fans had clamored for Shuri to take over the mantle as soon as they watched the original. Suddenly, some of them wanted someone else.
When Disney finally marketed Wakanda Forever, the results were decidedly mixed. Even Marvel insiders didn’t know what to make of the reception.
Photo: Disney
So, I can state unequivocally that everyone involved is visibly exhaling over the film’s high quality and exceptional box office debut.
But we’ll all miss Chadwick Boseman.
