Sean Bailey: Last News

Exciting news – we’re getting a Hocus Pocus 3!

McKinley Franklin editor A third “Hocus Pocus” film is officially in development, Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey has confirmed. In a profile with The New York Times, Bailey stated that “Yes, ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ is happening” when discussing additional upcoming live-action projects in development at the company.  “Hocus Pocus 3” comes after the success of the 2022 sequel “Hocus Pocus 2,” which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their children-hungry witching roles. The sequel broke records amongst the Nielson Top 10 streaming charts, taking home the largest opening weekend with 2.7 billion minutes viewed following its Sept. 30 premiere. The Disney+ movie also became the most watched original film for Disney+ over the frame of the first three days of release.

Marvel Studios has been the very model of a modern mini studio. Chief creative officer Kevin Feige and his small stable of executives have reliably delivered an unbroken string of global blockbusters to theaters and, starting in 2021, smash TV shows for Disney+. And they’ve done so while keeping virtually all their behind-the-scenes drama from spilling over into public view. It took just a week for that impeccable reputation to all but collapse, when Disney, Marvel’s parent company, fired Feige’s most high-profile lieutenant, Victoria Alonso, after 17 years with the company, most recently as the president of physical, postproduction, visual effects and animation.

Tim Gray Senior Vice President With 20/20 hindsight, the mega-success of Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” might seem inevitable, since it is a sequel to a familiar title, and it stars Tom Cruise. Of course nothing is a sure bet. And even with its popularity, there was no assurance Academy voters would embrace it. But the film earned $1.48 billion at the worldwide box office and scored Oscar noms for best picture, adapted screenplay, editing, sound, song (by Lady Gaga and BloodPop) and visual effects. The best picture nom recognizes four producers: Tom Cruise, David Ellison, Christopher McQuarrie and, after nearly 50 years in the industry, Jerry Bruckheimer, who is celebrating his first Oscar nomination.

EXCLUSIVE: We understand that Disney has commissioned an original musical feature from Bend It Like Beckham filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges, inspired by a dynamic princess from Indian history.

The success of Hocus Pocus 2 as the most watched Disney+ movie of all-time with a first weekend of 2.7 billion views viewed spurred many to question whether the sequel to the near 30 year old movie should have gone theatrical, especially during a dry spell at the fall box office when theaters were desperate for it.

Disney has revealed the first trailer for Hocus Pocus 2 at the D23 Expo in Anaheim tonight (September 9).The new movie, which will see original stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker return, will arrive on Disney Plus on September 30.The sequel will also introduce new characters, including one played by Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham, as the trailer reveals.The trailer begins with a priest banishing the three young witches, who grow up to be Midler, Najimy and Parker’s characters, from Salem and meeting Waddingham in the woods. “They were right to fear thee,” she tells them.Happily never after.#Disenchanted, an Original movie, starts streaming November 24 on @DisneyPlus.

Shiver me timbers! The sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film was first announced as a possibility in 2010, but fans are still waiting for answers about when — or if — the movie will ever premiere.

Johnny Depp has been linked to a shock return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise – but his spokesperson has poured cold water over the speculation.A recent report claimed that the actor – who has just landed in Paris for a new project – was gearing up to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow and was linked to a deal worth $301million.‘Disney are very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp,’ a source told Australian outlet PopTopic over the move, which comes shortly after he won his bombshell court case against ex-wife Amber Heard.‘They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another Pirates film or two.’The insider alleged that studio bosses had already sent across ‘a draft for a film’ for the character.However, his spokesperson told Metro.co.uk that there is nothing in the claims.Depp previously spoke about whether he would consider re-joining the action franchise after making his debut as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003.Fans were first introduced to the character in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, with the films going on to gross a reported $4.5billion (£3.4bn) worldwide.He went on to reprise his role in sequels Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), and reportedly earned $300million (£230m) in that time.The Edward Scissorhands star recently stated that ‘nothing on this earth’, not even ‘$300million and a million alpacas’ could entice him to return in another film, with Margot Robbie named as a possible replacement in the franchise.In 2018, Disney production chief Sean Bailey confirmed that Depp was no

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe broadcast network upfront presentations returned to New York last week, although they’re not really about broadcast — or networks — anymore. The media buyers were back, executives were back, talent returned, and members of the press were also there.But here’s what wasn’t back: The shows.

Amber Heard, 36, has taken to the stand today as her 58-year-old former husband Johnny Depp's trial against her continues.The Aquaman actress testified that the court case has been the “most painful” thing she has gone through.She said: “I struggle to have the words to describe how painful this is.“This is horrible for me to sit here for weeks and relive everything, (to) hear people that I knew – some well, some not, my ex-husband with whom I shared a life – speak about our lives in the way that they have.“This the most painful and difficult thing I’ve gone through for sure.”Johnny is currently suing ex-wife Amber for $50 million for writing in an article that she was a victim of domestic abuse,t not naming him as the perpetrator, and she is counter-suing him for $100 million.The Jack Sparrow star’s talent manager Jack Whigham testified at the trial this week that the actor would have been paid a whopping amount for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 by Disney, before Amber’s "catastrophic" domestic abuse allegations in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed.The piece, in which Amber did not name her ex-husband, saw her describe herself as a "'public figure representing domestic abuse” and Johnny, who denies abusing Amber, says the article destroyed his career.Talent manager Jack Whigham testified this week that Disney movie boss Sean Bailey and producer Jerry Bruckheimer had verbally agreed around 2016 to pay Depp a huge amount for Pirates of the Caribbean 6.He claimed this amount was $22.5 million, but it was not clear if Johnny was set to receive a back-end payment from cinema profits.The actor is reported to have been paid over $300 million for the first five Pirates of the Caribbean movies - mostly thanks to a percentage of the box

EXCLUSIVE: Utkarsh Ambudkar is on a hot streak.

Metallica have revealed that they’re re-writing their song ‘Nothing Else Matters’ for upcoming Disney film Jungle Cruise.Speaking in a new interview, the band’s drummer Lars Ulrich discussed transforming the 1992 track into an orchestral piece for the new movie, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall.“It really goes back to [Disney production president] Sean Bailey, who is a lifelong rock fan, and is just all-around one of the greatest, most friendly, generous, warm, and embracing people you’ll find in the music business,” Ulrich told Collider.