Looks Like The Fox And Disney Merger Will Cause A Ton Of Layoffs

Looks Like The Fox And Disney Merger Will Cause A Ton Of Layoffs

Even if you've never personally been part of a business merger of any kind (and I have), it's not hard to predict many of the things that will happen as a result. When two companies that used to do largely the same thing come together, you end up with one company that has a lot more employees doing the same job than it may necessarily need. That means layoffs. When two companies the size of Disney and 20th Century Fox come together, that's a lot of employees, and that means a lot of potential layoffs. Specifically, 7,500 people are expected to end up unemployed as a result of the merger.

Needless to say, 7,500 people is a lot of people who likely will be viewed as redundant after the dust settles. The Disney/Fox merger is expected to be finalized on paper as early as next week. We likely won't see a bunch of people out of work on day one. A lot of the work of combining these two massive companies together likely hasn't even started yet, waiting for the merger to become official.

Certainly, not everybody coming on board is going to lose their job. Fox, and its various subsidiary divisions, is going to remain as a separate distribution label under the Disney umbrella, similar to Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm. Those parts of the company will still need people to run them and handle various jobs inside.

While it's easy to assume that layoffs will hurt a lot of the people in smaller positions, and it certainly will, nobody is entirely immune from layoffs. The new company doesn't necessarily need any more vice presidents or other top level executives than it already has, so some layoffs will take place at every level. Though, certainly things will hurt the lower level employees more.

Most of these layoffs will likely come from the Fox side of things. Disney is the company retaining control over the new company, it's easier for Disney to simply keep all its people in place and simply add in the necessary Fox people, but there's no way to know for sure.

It shows just how big the new Walt Disney Company will be that it is adding an entirely new film division, some smaller film subsidiaries, like Fox Searchlight, as well as new cable channels, and more, and will still need to layoff something close to 7,500 people. THR says that the massive merger between AT&T and Time Warner won't result in nearly as many lost jobs. While there are some undeniably cool things that a Disney/Fox merger may create on the content side of things, it can't be overstated that this merger is changing the media landscape forever.

Wheels will begin turning next week once the merger is official and the new Walt Disney Company begins to move forward and figure out what it is going to be. Hopefully, the people who find themselves without a home in the new company won't be without a job for too long.

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Iron Man Creation Timeline- How Marvel's Gamble On Tony Stark Paid Off

Iron Man Creation Timeline- How Marvel's Gamble On Tony Stark Paid Off

With Avengers: Endgame being hailed as one of the biggest love letters to the MCU to date, it feels like a good time to revisit the film and the character that started it all, Iron Man. Believe it or not, the world almost got Tony Stark in theaters much sooner than when it actually premiered. Here's a breakdown of the years leading up to Iron Man, and the studios, actors, and directors who almost had a hand in it.

The Beginning- (1990)

The first mention of Iron Man in a film surfaced in 1990 in a couple of ways. Tony Stark was considered as a character who could possibly be included in Death Of The Incredible Hulk, but the idea was ultimately scrapped for Hulk sacrificing his own life instead. It's a shame we didn't get to see an early 90s live-action Tony, if only to see if it's as laughably bad as other live-action Marvel characters of the era.

Universal Studios had the rights to Iron Man during this time, and while Re-Animator director and Honey I Shrunk The Kids writer Stuart Gordon was approached to direct a low-budget feature, that never happened. That same year Robert Downey Jr. starred in the movie Too Much Sun, which was written and directed by his father Robert Downey Sr. It was just one of ten films the father and son duo would do together over the years.

The 20th Century Fox Years (1996-1997)

20th Century Fox ended up acquiring the rights to Iron Man, and from that point on some really interesting things happened. At least, more interesting things than whatever happened at Universal, which as mentioned before, didn't do a lot. The first eleven months of the character's acquisition were quiet, and then word surfaced in early 1997 a young actor fresh off of a big Hollywood film was interested in playing the hero.

That man was none other than Con/Air actor Nicolas Cage. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information out there about any discussions that happened, or how serious Cage actually was about playing Tony Stark. What we do know is that he did a costume test for Tim Burton's Superman that same year, so maybe his interest laid more in playing a superhero than anything? We can only speculate, although it is worth noting he's done a handful of superhero roles since.

Stan Lee's Iron Man Script (1998-1999)

The year 1998 brought another big celebrity to Fox's doors, as Tom Cruise said he was interested in producing and starring in an Iron Man feature. Sometime later I-Robot screenwriter Jeff Vintar teamed up with Stan Lee to write a story that re-imagined Iron Man's origin and featured the villain M.O.D.O.K. as the central villain. Plans eventually fell apart, and Goldeneye screenwriter Jeffrey Caine was brought in retool the script.

Then, things took a surprising turn when the studio approached Quentin Tarantino to write and direct an Iron Man movie. What was his vision? Was Samuel L. Jackson involved? How many times did Tony Stark drop an f-bomb? It could've happened, but unfortunately Fox ended up selling off the rights. While the studio liked Lee and Vintar's script, they just had too many Marvel films in development to commit.

New Line Cinema's Iron Man Script (2000-2001)

It was the start of a new millennium, and with New Line Cinema in ownership of the rights to Iron Man, a new hope that a movie would be made was born. A new script was commissioned with Pirates of the Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and The Iron Giant's Tim McCanlies helping out with writing as well. This script was also an origin story, but with corporate villains.

Another interesting part about this script was that it allegedly included a Nick Fury cameo. According to rumors from insiders at the time (via Comics2Film), the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier was set to make an appearance, over a decade before it actually did in The Avengers. Coincidentally enough, New Line also entered into discussions with Joss Whedon to direct. Was it the Helicarrier mention that caught him? Because that connection is just too good.

Iron Man vs. Howard Stark? (2002-2004)

New Line Cinema finished the script in 2002, and New Line got John Q and The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes on board to direct. This time, the plot put Tony up against his father, Howard Stark. That's right, Howard Stark was the bad guy, and would eventually weaponize Tony's design to create, wait for it, War Machine.

Thankfully, nothing happened with that idea and New Line Cinema eventually lost Nick Cassavetes. (He released Alpha Dog not long after). With the studio's main prospect gone, New Line Cinema ended up relinquishing its rights to Iron Man, which sent it back to Marvel.

Back Home With Marvel (2005-2006)

After years away, Iron Man was finally home. Unfortunately, it had lost all interested parties in the process. For a time, Marvel struggled to find a writer due to it being strictly a Marvel production and the obscurity of Iron Man. Marvel decided to hold a campaign to raise awareness about the character, and commissioned future Deadpool director Tim Miller to make shorts that showcased the character's abilities.

The studio eventually landed Jon Favreau, who had a vision for a character finding redemption as a hero in what could be a bit of a spy thriller. He originally wanted to go with an unknown actor as the lead, but became hooked on Robert Downey Jr. after seeing how the actor's personal struggles mimicked that of Tony Stark. Marvel tried to push back on the hire, but Favreau wouldn't budge. The rest, as they say, is history.

It Wasn't Quite That Easy Though (2007)

Iron Man had its cast, a passionate director, and apparently, that was enough to go into filming. The script wasn't fully complete, which led to a lot of improvised dialogue, on-set rewrites, and actors doing multiple takes for lines they came up with on the spot. As Jeff Bridges would describe many years later, it was like shooting a $200 million student film.

For all intents and purposes, it could've been a train wreck. Yet, Iron Man succeeded in theaters and started one of the most impressive cinematic runs in movie history. It's even more impressive understanding the history involved, and how it could've all turned out radically different had a few things gone differently. Luckily, it didn't and audiences have been able to celebrate Robert Downey Jr.'s impressive run as the character for over a decade.

That run continues in Avengers: Endgame, which is currently in theaters. Stick with CinemaBlend for all the analysis on it and what comes next for Marvel in the future.

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When Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Reportedly Start Filming

When Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Reportedly Start Filming

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll in Phase Three, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and box office success. The last decade of filmmaking will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives next month, before Marvel Studios begins working on the next slate of films. Phase Four (if that's what it will be called) will begin with Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the MCU after that sequel is a complete mystery.

One of the biggest questions looming around the future of the MCU is the state of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn was fired by Disney in July, resulting in the project being put on indefinite hold. But now the director/writer has been brought back to finish his trilogy of movies. Although considering Gunn's involvement in The Suicide Squad for DC, it wasn't clear when filming will begin for Guardians 3. But now we may have an idea.

According to Production Weekly (via Comic Book), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will begin production in February of 2021. The film was originally set to follow Spider-Man: Far From Home, although now it looks like we'll have to wait a number of years before the motley crew of heroes finally arrive in theaters. Still, it's exciting to see that the project is back in active development.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reportedly going into production years from now, one thing is clear: Marvel fans will have to go a number of years without seeing the Guardians on the silver screen. Filming for Marvel movies is usually extensive, as is the editing and post-production process. So it wouldn't seem out of the question for the upcoming threequel to arrive in 2022. Fans should enjoy their role in Avengers: Endgame, because it's going to be a while before they return to theaters.

Of course, the report by Production Weekly hasn't been officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, so it's certainly possible that things will turn out differently. But given how James Gunn was only just reinstated for Guardians 3, the movie can't jump right into production. Gunn will reportedly focus on The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. first, which may explain the years gap before filming for the Guardians theequel begins. He'll also have to complete his draft of the Guardians 3 script, which was finished around the time of his departure.

Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is officially happening with James Gunn behind the camera, the most obvious question is exactly how the titular team of heroes will unite, given the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The Guardians were hit hard by Thanos' assault on the galaxy, starting with Gamora being killed so he could acquire the Soul Stone. And when Thanos snapped his fingers, audiences were left to watch as Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord and Groot faded to dust before our eyes.

Rocket and Nebula are the only characters left, and will be joining The Avengers for their mysterious mission to fight Thanos in Endgame. Hopefully they'll reverse the affects of the snap, and somehow bring Gamora back to life as well.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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The Huge Amount The Lion King Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

The Huge Amount The Lion King Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

The summer kicked off with a bang with Avengers: Endgame, currently the second highest-grossing movie of all time. Analysts and movie buffs are trying to find what the next big hit of the summer will be and all evidence is pointing toward The Lion King. The remake of the classic film is due to hit theaters in July and when it does, it will do so with a roar. Current projections for The Lion King have it opening to $201 million and a total domestic gross of $650 million.

Disney is no stranger to remaking the most iconic animated films in its library. It's found massive success in films like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, both of which were one of the highest-grossing films of the respective years they were released. So, no one was surprised when The Lion King was called up to the plate, with Jon Favreau leading the charge with cutting-edge photo-realistic technology.

The Lion King is beloved by multiple generations and those fans will turn out big time when the remake arrives in theaters. According to BoxOfficePro, The Lion King could open within the range of $180-$230 million. If that happens, the 2019 Lion King would top Beauty and the Beast's $174 million as the biggest opening weekend of any Disney "live-action" remake.

There are multiple factors working in The Lion King's favor. First off, the reaction to the trailer for The Lion King has been well received. The first trailer received 225 million views in the first 24 hours, which was ranked second all-time among all studio releases at that time. For comparison, Beauty and the Beast's trailer scored 128 million in its first day.

Additionally, in a recent Fandango survey, the film ranked as the most anticipated summer family film, ahead of Toy Story 4, Aladdin, and The Secret Life of Pets 2.

The original Lion King was the second-highest grossing film of 1994 with $312.9 million. After adjusting for 2019 ticket prices, that number jumps to over $680 million -- not including the 2011 re-release that scored $94.2 million domestic. Accounting for inflation, it's the second highest original run by any animated release, behind only Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (over $700 million).

In short, people love The Lion King. The animated movie won two Oscars, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys, and it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie checks a lot of boxes and appeals to a very wide audience. The 2019 Lion King is the last family friendly movie until November, so it has ample room to stretch its legs and build up a nice total.

The only real thing working against The Lion King, is that Disney has proven to not be bullet-proof with its remakes. Just earlier this year, Dumbo underperformed with $112 million domestic, while this weekend's Aladdin is still unclear.

However, it seems inevitable that The Lion King will reign supreme from Pride Rock when it releases on July 19, 2019.

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Sean Gunn Was Surprised By Guardians Of The Galaxy's Massive Success

Sean Gunn Was Surprised By Guardians Of The Galaxy's Massive Success

It seems so silly in hindsight knowing what we know now, but prior to its release, the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was seen as a big gamble on the part of Marvel Studios. These were quirky D-list characters with zero name recognition that were almost completely divorced from the heroes the studio had spent six years building up. How could they possibly succeed?

Of course, Marvel knew better and Guardians of the Galaxy went on to become a major hit, so much so that even those who believed in the project were blown away. Among them was writer-director James Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, who plays Kraglin and the on-set Rocket Raccoon in the films. Sean Gunn was surprised by just how massive the first movie's success was, as he explained:

I always felt pretty confident that we would have something on our hands, at least that people liked, but I never ever imagined that it would be the massive, massive hit that it was. I never thought that they would be able to sell so much; that it would be marketed so well; and that kids would identify so well to it; and that people would compare it to their favorite 80s movies.

As someone who was aware of what his brother was capable of and had read the script, Sean Gunn knew that the doubters were wrong. He saw the potential of Guardians of the Galaxy and how special it could be, and that audiences would like it. Yet even with the confidence of having been a part of the film, Sean Gunn still couldn’t have predicted that it would be a hit on the massive level that it was.

As Sean Gunn told ComicBook.com, Marvel marketed this seemingly risky movie well and Guardians of the Galaxy wound up striking a major chord with audiences. Moviegoers of all ages found something to love, from younger audiences falling in love with the characters to how it reminded older audiences of the films of the 1980s. This brilliant alchemy resulted in an unqualified smash hit.

That first Guardians of the Galaxy came out in August of 2014 and went on to make $773.3 million worldwide to become one of Marvel’s biggest movies, surpassing all but Iron Man 3 and The Avengers at the time. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was even bigger and earned $863.7 million worldwide.

These former D-listers are now a billion dollar property and household names. They even have their own ride at Disneyland and one coming to Walt Disney World. That level of massive success probably would have surprised even the most pie-in-the-sky optimist of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy succeeded on its own merits, but also because it no longer matters if characters are considered A-list. As Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel have proven, Marvel is the selling point that gets people in the door and then the characters do the rest.

The success looks to continue for the Guardian,  because Sean Gunn’s brother James is returning to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That film is still a few years away, but when it becomes another box office hit, no one will be surprised.

You don’t have to wait that long to see the Guardians though, because they, along with the rest of the MCU, are a part of this weekend’s Avengers: Endgame. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what you can look forward to this summer movie season.

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Watch The Awesome Trailer For Universal’s New Jurassic World Ride

Watch The Awesome Trailer For Universal’s New Jurassic World Ride

Last year, the legendary theme park attraction Jurassic Park: The Ride sailed its final voyage through Isla Nublar and closed down for refurbishment at Universal Studios Hollywood. That refresh was in the name of an updated attraction that swam in the same waters, but in service of promoting the Jurassic World franchise.

Now we have our first hint at what the updated attraction will look like, with the trailer below. Dear readers, welcome, to Jurassic World: The Ride:

The trailer starts out simple enough, with a western being filmed on the Universal Studios backlot. But before things get too shooty, an astronaut runs into frame with a familiar one word warning: “Run!” As one would expect, the chase scatters a bunch of other costumed actors running through the Universal lot, which results in Roberta the Tyrannosaurus Rex breaking through the Universal Studios arch.

It’s at this point that Jurassic World: The Ride finally shows itself through our first look at what exactly will be part of this new theme park attraction; and it’s here where we see something rather interesting. Pictured in the video is a boat that looks like one of the boats last seen in the Jurassic Park: The Ride attraction, only this time it’s stopped in the middle of the attraction.

Conveniently enough, the boat is stopped in front of a Mosasaurus tank, just in time for the beastie to charge towards the glass and make a hole. Water squirts out, the audience looks frightened and the boat moves on to bigger, scarier thrills, like the previously confirmed showdown between the famed T-Rex and “new behemoth dinosaurs.”

While Jurassic World: The Ride sounded pretty intense when described in the vaguest of terms, this new ride’s promise of more realistic terror is even more promising. The footage of how the ride’s supposed to work only makes for more excitement, as it looks like a digital screen approach similar to the Fast & Furious: Supercharged or Skull Island: Reign of Kong attractions, which be used to show some of the creatures at hand.

Though we wouldn’t count out any thrills and spills using original, or brand new, animatronics in Jurassic World: The Ride, as even those updated attractions still retain an actual physical element to their thrills. Of course, this is all speculation at this moment, but for now, taking a look into the world of this future adventure 65 million years in the making has us longing for our first chance to take that ride for ourselves.

Jurassic World: The Ride does not have an official opening date past the originally specified timeframe of this summer. However, Universal Studios Hollywood recommends checking back on their official website for any future updates.

And if you still want to ride Jurassic Park: The Ride, it’s still in operation at Universal Studios Japan, as well as Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando for the time being. Which has us wondering if any revamps to the latter park’s attraction could involve Roberta squaring off against Fluffy from the Harry Potter series. Just a suggestion, Universal.

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Zac Efron Had Trouble Separating Himself From Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile

Zac Efron Had Trouble Separating Himself From Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile

Zac Efron will always be known for breaking into song as teen heartthrob Troy Bolton in the High School Musical movies, Link Larkin in Hairspray, or alongside Hugh Jackman and Zendaya in The Greatest Showman, among his other acting projects. Getting the catchy showtunes of his past out of his head was nothing compared to playing his darkest role yet, serial killer Ted Bundy.

During the recent London premiere of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile, the actor opened up about how portraying Bundy became a challenge due to its sinister subject. In his words:

I’ve never played a role in which I really have to separate myself from [him] when I go home at night, and it was almost impossible. I’d like to say that I did it successfully, but I couldn’t.

It’s no surprise that getting into the frame of mind to play a serial killer would mess with one’s head a bit, and Zac Efron experienced this firsthand while working on his upcoming Netflix project. The drama chronicles the crimes of the infamously attractive Bundy, who later confessed to 30 homicides he committed across the United States in the ‘70s.

In Zac Efron’s interview with Daily Mail at the premiere, he talked about his initial concern with taking on the dark role and why he ultimately decided to sign on to play Ted Bundy:

I really wasn’t interested in playing a serial killer, I’m not in the business of glamorizing a horrendous person or his acts, but there is something unique about the way we went into the psyche of Ted, and his longtime girlfriend Liz. It’s a different perspective and not your run-of-the-mill serial killer cliché -- body count gets higher and higher and oh the guy you always knew did it, did it.

Looks like Zac Efron was intrigued by the Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile script and how it tells the story from the perspective of Ted Bundy’s girlfriend Liz (played by Lily Collins). The film has been criticized for glamorizing the criminal with the casting of the former Disney teen idol, but the actor has previously explained the responsibility he feels to not celebrate the killer through the role. It’s instead meant to serve as a cautionary tale to the young generation who often mistakenly trust attractive men.

The film’s director Joe Berlinger (who also recently helmed Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: Ted Bundy Tapes) said he felt casting Zac Efron was an intentional choice geared toward the demographic crushing on actors such as Efron who may feel like he could do no wrong due to his good looks. Ted Bundy manipulated and lured women with his charm, so the film seeks to show this firsthand with Efron’s performance.

After premiering earlier this year at Sundance, the R-rated drama was purchased by Netflix for $9 million. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile will hit theaters and the streaming platform on May 3.

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