While no final decision has been made, Disney is reportedly looking at pushing a number of its upcoming tentpole family films straight to Disney+ instead of the planned theatrical releases that were envisioned when the films were developed and green lit.
Which films? Three live-action adaptations of their earlier animated fare. Specifically Craig Gillespie’s “Cruella” starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, Robert Zemeckis’ “Pinocchio” starring Tom Hanks, and David Lowery’s “Peter Pan and Wendy” with Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell.
It’s also not clear whether the films will be offered free to Disney+ subscribers (ala “Soul”) or offered initially for a premium charge (ala “Mulan”).
The studio is reportedly considering every option and contingency they can as the Mouse House plans to lean in heavily on its direct-to-consumer initiative and towards continuing to build the juggernaut that is the Disney+ service which hit 73.7 million subscriptions as of early October.
For now Disney still plans to keep its plum titles for cinema release when the theatrical market recovers – especially from its key content silos like Marvel and Lucasfilm.
Source: Deadline
