Why For did Sony Pictures decide not to go forward with production of “Spider-Man 4” ?

Ask and ye shall receive. When I asked you guys for some new Why For questions last week, I had hoped that I might get a few. But given the dozens of great Disney-related questions that have come pouring over the past seven days, it’s clear that you folks really missed this particular JHM column.

Thanks again for sending in all of those thoughtful, very challenging queries. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be setting aside every Friday here at this site so that I can then try & answer as many JHM reader questions as possible.

Soooo ... Why don’t I start things off by pulling three e-mails right out of the middle of the stack? Question No. 1 comes from Ephraim. Who asks about an entertainment news story that broke this past Monday:

Copyright 2009 Columbia Pictures, Inc. and MARVEL. All Rights Reserved

Hiya Jim,

Sony just today announced that they're going to re-boot Spider-Man in 2012 - no Raimi, no Maguire, no Dunst. Does this mean anything for Disney? Could it be possible for them to somehow buy the rights back from Sony and then let Marvel Studios do a new film?

Thanks,

Ephraim

Ephraim –

Nope. Not at this point, anyway. Though -- from what I hear -- one of the main reasons that Sony moved so quickly to announce their reboot of this film franchise after Sam Raimi said that “Spider-Man 4” couldn’t possibly make its previously-locked-in May 5th, 2011 release date was this Studio’s very real fear that – if they dawdled – Disney’s lawyers might then find some loophole in Sony's original licensing agreement with Marvel that Mickey could then exploit. Which would then allow the Mouse House to reclaim the motion picture rights for this particular superhero from Sony / Columbia Pictures prematurely.

Entrance to the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, CA.

As a Sony Pictures insider explained this situation to me earlier this week:

For over 10 years now, we’ve had a good working relationship with Marvel. But now that the Mouse owns Marvel, no one’s entirely sure how aggressive The Walt Disney Company is going to be when it comes to regaining the rights to these characters. Which is why management here felt that it was crucial that this film franchise maintain forward momentum. So that Disney’s attorneys would have as few opportunities as possible to probe for weakness in our licensing agreement with Marvel.

Which is why – come the Summer of 2012 – Peter Parker is headed back to high school. This Spider-Man reboot will be written by James Vanderbilt (Who – oddly enough – was one of the first very writers that Sony Pictures hired to work with Sam Raimi on Spider-Man 4). As for who will direct & star in this 2012 tentpole … Studio officials promise that all of this information will be revealed in the coming months.

Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

As for Disney … They’re really just getting started on figuring out how to recover that $4.3 billion that they paid out for Marvel Entertainment, Inc. The Company’s short-term plans involve piggybacking on some of the Marvel-related projects that other studios will be releasing over the next year or so. EX: On or about May 7th of this year – which is when Paramount Pictures will be releasing “Iron Man 2” to theaters – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is expected to put out a DVD that will then showcase selected episodes of the Iron Man animated TV series.

Beyond that … As expected, Disney’s attorneys will spend the next few years reviewing all of the licensing deals that Marvel Entertainment, Inc. has signed over the years. And – just as Sony officials feared – they will continually review these contracts, making sure that every single previously-agreed-upon term & condition is being met and/or honored. And if not … Well, you can bet that Mickey’s lawyers will then move at warp speed to sever these arrangements. Which would then allow control of the Marvel characters in question to revert back to The Walt Disney Company.

Long story short: This is going to be a long, involved process that will probably include a couple of lawsuits. But by 2017, Disney hopes to regain control of most if not all of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. characters. And that’s when the real fun (read that as “serious profit taking”) begins.

Photo by Scott Brinegar. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Question No. 2 comes from Tim D. Who writes in to ask about some DCA attractions that have yet to make it off of WDI’s drawing board:

Hey Jim,

Love Disney and love your site. So what happened to that E ticket Incredibles ride I heard you mention a few times a while back that was supposed to on into the new California Adventure.

And also did they ever discuss bringing Rock and Roller Coaster to Cal Adventure. it feels like perfect fit with the park and the California theme.

All the best,

Tim D.

Dear Tim,

That Incredibles E Ticket that WDI proposed a few years back has been tabled for the foreseeable future. Thanks – in large part – to the deal that Universal Studios made with Kuka. Which gave NBC Universal semi-exclusive rights to use that company’s robotic arm technology in a theme park setting. Which Universal Creative will then use to power the cutting-edge attraction that it hopes will be the highpoint / centerpiece of IOA’s new Wizarding World area, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.”

Copyright 2009 Universal Orlando. All Rights Reserved

Oh, sure. Kuka arms have popped up here and there at the Disney Parks. Most notably in that recently opened “Sum of All Thrills” attraction at Epcot’s Innoventions as well as in the Angler Fish sequence over at that theme park’s “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” ride. But WDI’s license to use this technology (for the next few years, anyway) is extremely limited. Whereas Universal can really go to town with its own Kuka arms. Just wait ‘til you see how they use this technology to make the magic seem real in “Forbidden Journey

As for DCA getting a copy of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster … As I understand it, there were plans a few years back to gut that theme park’s long-empty Hollywood & Dine restaurant and then build a clone of this popular DHS & WDS indoor coaster inside of that structure. The only problem with this scheme was … Well – in order to accommodate this thrill ride’s queue area, its post-show gift shop as well as all of the back-of-the-house maintenance / ops areas that you really need for a coaster of this size – that would have meant significantly expanding Hollywood & Dine’s footprint. Pushing out the boundaries of this structure ‘til it would have consumed much of the external queue area for “Monsters, Inc. Mikey and Sulley to the Rescue!”

Photo by Scott Brinegar.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

And based on the fact that the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror didn’t really have the impact on DCA attendance levels that WDI had hoped it would, the Imagineers eventually abandoned their plus-this-theme-park-one-attraction-at-a-time plan and opted instead to go for an Extreme Makeover of California Adventure. In essence hitting the reset button on this entire theme park and then slathering it with all sorts of detail & theming.

And since the Imagineers’ original vision for this theme park’s Hollywood Pictures Backlot area (i.e. that this part of the Park reflect the Hollywood of today and feature the sorts of buildings & facades that one wandered onto the backlot at Warners or Paramount) has now given way to Hollywoodland (Which will pay tribute to Tinsel Town of the late 1930s / early 1940s) … Well, a thrill ride like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster -- which is clearly set in today’s music world -- doesn’t really fit in a part of DCA that’s supposed to celebrate old Hollywood. Which is why this idea has now formally been spiked.

Mind you, there’s still talk that a family-friendly coaster may someday be installed inside of DCA’s old Hollywood & Dine restaurant. But that would depend on how the public reacts to that Monsters, Inc. themed inverted coaster that was supposed to have begun construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this year. So that this interactive thrill ride could have then been up & running in time to become one of the new attractions that would have been hyped in 2011 as part of WDW’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Unfortunately, the dip in attendance levels that Disney World experienced on the heels of 2008’s financial crisis (not to mention the severe fall-off in Guest spending at the Resort) forced Mouse House management to put this project on hold. Though from what I hear – now that Pixar Animation Studios reportedly has a “Monsters, Inc. 2” in development – this inverted coaster (which was supposed to have sent theme park guests careening through that enormous Door Hangar building that we all saw in the original “Monsters, Inc.” movie ) could finally be coming off WDI’s drawing board in the not-so-distant future.

And if that’s the case and this family-friendly coaster proves to be a hit with DHS visitors … Is it really such a stretch to imagine that a clone of this attraction could be built right next door to “Mike and Sulley to the Rescue”? Thereby creating sort of a “Monsters, Inc.” –themed mini-land in that backmost corner of DCA’s new Hollywoodland section.

And – finally – Question No. 3 comes from Wyatt M. Who writes in to ask about one of my favorite Disney films of the past decade, “Treasure Planet” :

Copyright 2002 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

I just re watched this movie recently and it got me thinking. I remember you saying that the Imagineers were planning Atlantis rides but did they ever have any plans for Treasure Planet ones?

Wyatt M

Dear Wyatt –

Though most of The Walt Disney Company’s future plans for this November 2002 theatrical release were tied to a direct-to-video sequel as well as an animated TV series (which was to have chronicled the further swashbuckling adventures of Jim Hawkins & John Silver), I do recall that – for a time, anyway – the Imagineers were excited about the notion of marrying “Soarin’ Over California” ‘s ride system to “Treasure Planet” ‘s tall-ships-in-deep-space conceit.

To be honest, I don’t know how far down WDI’s development track this particular attraction concept made it. I have to assume that -- once this Ron ‘n’ John movie proved to be a box office disappointment -- the Imagineers eventually abandoned the idea of trying to use "Treasure Planet" 's worlds, vehicles & characters as inspiration for a new theme park ride.

Copyright 2002 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

But doesn’t that sound like a great concept for an attraction? To be strapped into a “Soarin’ “ –like ride system and then be lifted up into a sky full of stars. As an off-screen narrator sets the scene by saying “ … On the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships with their cargoes of Arcturian Sura crystals felt safe and secure. Little did they suspect that they were being pursued by … PIRATES!”

Okay. That’s enough answers for this week. Thanks again for all of those great questions that you folks sent in over the past seven days. If you'd like to get in on the fun here at JHM with Why For Fridays, please send your Disney-related queries in to whyfor@jimhillmedia.com. And I'll then do what I can in order to get you an answer.

Have a great Martin Luther King Day weekend, okay?