020909 Update: The deal is now official.
Nikki Finke reported it first, then the NY Times confirmed the news… Dreamworks SKG (the film and tv, but not the animation, division) has ended negotiations to partner with Universal Studios and instead is heading just a bit further down the concrete banks of the LA river to Walt Disney Studios.
Plenty of rumors are swirling. One claims Disney would sell its Miramax division (I see that as unlikely, since it is Disney’s best bet at Oscar Gold each year). Another is that David Geffen has always wanted to move to Disney, but that Spielberg felt more comfortable at Universal since that’s where his Amblin Production offices are. That seems more likely.
If anything this bodes well for the rumored sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Disney would have to team with Amblin again to make the sequel. Having Steven Spielberg on your team should make that a snap.
If this comes to fruition, one has to wonder how it will affect Bob Iger’s decision to keep the number of films it releases each year down to about a dozen. Would that number go up or would Dreamworks canablize other projects within the Disney studio?
I would think it would be very strange to be working so closely with people who also have a company that is competing with Disney’s animation businesses.
Disney and Dreamworks SKG in negotiations? http://is.gd/iEZ0 What would Steven Spielberg do with Mickey Mouse?
RT @TheDisneyBlog: Disney and Dreamworks SKG in negotiations? http://is.gd/iEZ0
This would be awesome!
“Would that number go up or would Dreamworks canablize other projects within the Disney studio?”
It would go up…
“I would think it would be very strange to be working so closely with people who also have a company that is competing with Disney’s animation businesses.”
DreamWorks Animation is a different company than the one Spielberg runs. That one is ran by Katzenberg and has a production agreement with Paramount that is still in place. Katzenberg can initiate a clause in the contract that lets him look for a new partner that within the next 12 to 18 months though…
Our DisneyLOL about this:
Click to see!
“Katzenberg can initiate a clause in the contract that lets him look for a new partner that within the next 12 to 18 months though…”
As cool as that would be, I don’t see Katzenburg ever doing this, especially when his studio is doing so successfully.
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Disney and Dreamworks SKG Deal Finalized. Long-term distribution package with first film in 2010 – http://is.gd/iEZ0
I hope the they start production on Roger Rabbit 2 and focus on the Roger Rabbit character more instead of Jessica.
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