Well, it looks like the Mouse is in a mood for changes. as studio head Dick Cook made an abrupt departure on Friday. The move — dictated by Disney CEO Bob Iger — comes after a disappointing 2009 for Disney: combative hamsters (G-FORCE) and The Rock in a kiddie move remake (RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN) just didn’t cut it.
And now, who will replace Cook? We hear it’s Hank Kanalz. NO! Wrong rumours! But Marvel studio head Kevin Feige is being named as a possibility in a few places, as is John Lasseter, although he would have a hard time replacing Cook’s strong ties with live action actors. For instance, the LA Times’ Claudia Eller caught up with Johnny Depp and you can just imagine Captain Jack Sparrow’s eyeliner running as he questions whether he can go on with a fourth PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie sans Cook. “There’s a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment,” Depp said.
Now THAT is sorrow.
That’s like one of those “duh” type of things as far as “G-Force” and Race to Witch Mountain not doing well. G-Force had too many things going against it. Kids haven’t been too much into that type of movie once they hit around 6. That’s a small bracket to make a movie for, then you have fans of G-Force/Battle of the Planets that may have taken the name in a bad light as well. Then Race to Witch Mountain no matter if it was good or not was just another tired old remake. There are too many movies to be made new to worry about remaking movies as Hollywood seems to be obsessed with doing.
Except for a few companies, business is always, ‘What have you done for me, lately?’, not, ‘What have you done for me, overall?’.