"First Disney/Marvel collaboration: Hannah Montana refuses to reveal secret identity, she goes to war with Iron Man. Iron Man wins easily." -- Brian Lynch
Some random, somewhat rambling thoughts about what may be the biggest film-related news story of the year...
Chud's Devin Faraci did a solid
as it was happening
. First of all, at this point, any and all licensing and distribution deals that Marvel has in place with Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, Fox, or the like will be honored until their expiration dates (no wonder Sony has been desperate to get the next dozen
Spider-Man
movies into development). What is obvious is that Marvel either didn't trust itself as a stand-alone movie studio, or they were financially shaky enough to be in total peril should any of their big films (like
Thor
) out and out tank. Latching onto any major studio was a smart move for them, as spending
Iron Man
-type money for B-level projects (like
Ant Man
) was a recipe for eventual disaster. Having one of the big studios provides a cushion for the occasional whiff. I've
Marvel in the past for this or that boneheaded play (forcing Sam Raimi to put Venom in
Spider-Man 3
,
, spending $160 million of their own money on
The Incredible Hulk
and then
), but this new deal gives them the safety of actually being able to survive a truly awful situation (such as an out and out flop like Warner Bros/DC Comics
Catwoman
). From an artistic point-of-view, at the very least the idea of a Marvel/Pixar collaboration is beyond exciting (put any Marvel team with the Incredibles). And while Warner was never smart enough to let the DCAU gang (Bruce Timm/Paul Dini/Alan Burnett/etc) write the live-action DC scripts, Marvel doesn't have to make the same mistake. Free tip - let the Pixar gang write the scripts for the live-action superhero movies.
For Disney, the movie studio is just icing on the cake (which may or may not be good news for said studio wanting to fund exceptionally expensive superhero epics). The real money will come from the licensing opportunities. They will have the ability to infuse their theme parks with Marvel characters if they so choose. Or they can open a completely new Marvel Comics theme park if they wish. The possibilities are endless, especially once the other deals with the other studios expire (expect Fox to greenlight a flurry of sequels and reboots of existing properties). This also clears up any number of rights issues for the various Marvel Comics-based cartoons that the Disney-owned
Saban put out on the 1990s. I'm guessing that the out-of-nowhere DVD release of the 1990s
X-Men cartoon was some kind of peace offering or test run (at least this means that Disney DVD will actually release the whole series). So along with everything else, Disney gets clear sailing to release about a dozen animated series collections onto DVD as a bonus. I'm guessing the reason that Disney bought Marvel is the simplest one... they want the merchandising bonanza that comes from Marvel's flagship characters.
A big question is of course how this will affect the actual Marvel Comics content. This pretty much destroys any chances of any R-rated Marvel movies in the future (however slim those chances were in the first place), since Walt Disney only started putting out PG-13 films under their Walt Disney banner with the first Pirates of the Caribbean film in July, 2003. I'm sure the recently resurrected Touchtone distribution label (used by Disney to release R-rated comedies and action films) may play a role, but we'll see. I don't think Disney is dumb enough to meddle with the comic book material or the various spin-offs (such as video games), but that's always a danger. Because now that Disney owns Marvel, the various pro-censorship Focus On The Family-type groups can send out press releases touting some horrifying violence that happened on page 12 of last week's issue of The Punisher or last month's issue of Ultimate Avengers. Come what may, the acquisition of 5,000 often violent, occasionally sexualized comic book characters just makes Disney an even easier target for such rubbish. We'll see if Disney reacts to inevitable cheap shots. I'd like to think that Disney didn't buy Marvel for $4 billion just so they could tinker with it. On the other hand, will Disney allow the flagship characters for their new sub-company to run around in four-color land swearing, drinking, killing, and screwing if they think it will inversely affect their ability to sell t-shirts of said characters to people already suspicious of the 'Disney agenda'? Or worse yet, will Disney worry that Wolverine killing someone in a comic book might somehow affect the sale of a Mickey Mouse t-shirt? I'd love to be proven merely paranoid about this, but it'll be something to watch for over the next few years.
But overall this seems like a solid play for Marvel and Disney, and a huge blow to the allegedly cash-strapped Paramount (they also recently lost Dreamworks to Disney). The Mouse House gets the rights to pretty much every Marvel character, and the other studios may have to come to Disney for co-financing if costs for their characters' films can't be controlled (does Sony has a $1 billion or so lying around for the next three Spider-Man films?). This gives Disney a boatload of ready-made franchises to supplement the (nearly dead) Pirates of the Caribbean series and the National Treasure series. And as long as Disney doesn't meddle with the content, Marvel now has the cushion to build its movie empire as well as the ability to (theoretically) lose money year after year on the actual comics, Ala DC Comics and Warner Bros.
All of this is pure speculation, but I can't wait to see how this plays out. This is genuinely shocking and exciting news from every possible perspective (business, filmmaking, comics, etc).
Scott Mendelson
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.