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☆ Dwayne Johnson says a live-action version of 'Moana' is in the works
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LOS ANGELES, April 3 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) is developing a live-action version of its animated movie hit "Moana," star Dwayne Johnson announced at the company's annual shareholder meeting on Monday. "Moana" is set in ancient Polynesia and tells the story of a teenage girl who sets sail on an epic journey to help save her tribe. The animated version was released in 2016 and racked up nearly $683 million at global box offices. "I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen," said Johnson, who voiced the role of the demigod Maui in the original film. "This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength," said Johnson, whose mother is Samoan.

[1/2] A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidLOS ANGELES, April 3 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Chief Executive Bob Iger fired back at Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday, saying his apparent retaliation against Disney for taking a position on legislation was "anti-business." Soon after, DeSantis and the Florida legislature moved to eliminate the virtual autonomy the company enjoyed in the running of Walt Disney World in Orlando. He also noted that Disney employs 75,000 people in the state and will welcome 50 million visitors to Disney World this year. "These efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti-business, but it sounds anti-Florida," Iger said.

☆ Disney's Florida surprise: an end run around DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People gather at the Magic Kingdom theme park before the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. Florida lawmakers passed a bill in February giving Governor Ron DeSantis effective control over a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort. "It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern," board member Brian Aungst Jr. was quoted as saying. Disney's then-chief executive officer, Bob Chapek, publicly voiced disappointment with the measure, saying he called DeSantis to express concern about it becoming law. In a move political observers viewed as retaliation for Disney's criticism of the Parental Rights in Education Act, Florida lawmakers passed legislation that ended Disney's virtual autonomy in developing 25,000 acres in central Florida where its theme parks are located.

☆ ABC News lays off senior executives in Disney's cost-cutting drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 30 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ABC News laid off several senior executives on Thursday, as it restructures its newsroom, two sources confirmed. Among those to lose their jobs in the restructuring were Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of news gathering; Galen Gordon, senior vice president of talent; Alison Rudnick, vice president of corporate communications; and David Herndon, executive director and Los Angeles bureau chief. Godwin named London bureau chief Katie den Daas as vice president of newsgathering, overseeing domestic and international teams. The business and operations team will expand to include talent, production and business affairs, reporting to ABC News Executive Vice President Derek Medina. Stacia Deshishku, executive editor and senior vice president of News, will assume responsibility for the investigative and enterprise reporting unit.

March 29 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) has laid off Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter as part of a cost-cutting campaign, a source confirmed Wednesday. Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment, will remain and report to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the second source said. Perlmutter, who outmaneuvered billionaire Carl Icahn for control of the comic book publisher in the late 1990s, sold Marvel to Disney for $4 billion in 2009. Disney CEO Bob Iger later restructured Marvel in 2015, placing Marvel Studios under Walt Disney Studios. Perlmutter retained the title of chairman of Marvel Entertainment, a unit responsible for publishing, games, digital media and some consumer products.

☆ Carl Icahn wants to bring back Illumina's ex-CEO -WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A sign at the front entrance to the global headquarters of Illumina is pictured in San Diego, California, U.S., November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Mike BlakeMarch 29 (Reuters) - Carl Icahn wants former Illumina (ILMN.O) CEO Jay Flatley back at the U.S. life sciences firm, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, as the activist investor intensifies his proxy fight that was launched earlier this month. In an interview with the WSJ, Icahn signaled that Illumina "should bring Flatley back as CEO immediately". Icahn and Illumina did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Boomerang UBS boss ticks several important boxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That’s the best explanation for why Chair Colm Kelleher on Wednesday said the Swiss bank was replacing CEO Ralph Hamers with erstwhile boss Sergio Ermotti. Though the move violates several corporate-governance red lines, it improves the group’s chances of successfully absorbing stricken rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). Nor was his hesitant delivery in a call with analysts after announcing the Credit Suisse deal. During his previous spell in charge, UBS held talks with Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and discussed a merger with Credit Suisse. Ermotti, a Swiss national, led the Swiss bank for nine years, departing in late 2020, and is currently chair of Swiss Re.

☆ Walt Disney Co begins 7,000 layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LOS ANGELES, March 27(Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) on Monday began 7,000 layoffs announced earlier this year, as it seeks to control costs and create a more "streamlined" business, according to a letter Chief Executive Bob Iger sent to employees and seen by Reuters. Several major divisions of the company - Disney Entertainment, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, and corporate - will be impacted, according to a person familiar with the matter. Iger said Disney would begin notifying the first group of employees who are impacted by the workforce reductions over the next four days. Josh D’Amaro, chair of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, sent a memo to theme parks employees in February warning that the profitable division would experience cuts. Officials for two of the unions representing cast members at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida, said “guest-facing” services were not expected to be affected by the layoffs.

[1/3] Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives to attend her fraud trial at federal court in San Jose, California, U.S., December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva/File PhotoNEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - A key prosecution witness whose testimony helped convict Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes of fraud sued Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) on Thursday over a recent Hulu miniseries that he says defamed him by portraying him as corrupt. Rosendorff said the character, Mark Roessler, covered up Theranos' fraud by ordering the destruction of damaging lab results, falsifying records and engaging in other dishonest and unethical conduct. "At the time of the trial, (Rosendorff) was considered a heroic whistle-blower, a witness who was instrumental in the jury’s verdict convicting Holmes," the filing said. The case is Rosendorff v Hulu LLC et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No.

Some 65% of respondents - including 46% of Republicans and 68% of independents - said they were less likely to vote for a presidential candidate in 2024 who supports laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. DeSantis last year signed a Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks, saying the measure would protect "the rights of unborn children." The online Reuters/Ipsos poll had a credibility interval of between around two and four percentage points. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 61% of respondents nationwide, including 66% of independents, prefer a candidate who opposes allowing medical treatment for minors related to gender identity. Reuters GraphicsThe Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nationwide, women were more likely than men to oppose severe abortion restrictions and permitless concealed guns.

☆ TV ratings for Sunday's Oscars rise to 18.7 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The audience rose 12% from last year, when 16.7 million people tuned in, ABC said. While the Oscars audience increased compared with last year, it ranked as the third-lowest on record for the ceremony. ABC said Sunday's awards were the subject of 27.4 million interactions on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The highest-rated Academy Awards telecast took place 25 years ago, when megahit "Titanic" swept the honors. In 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oscar ratings hit their low point with 10.5 million viewers.

☆ Studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight with big wins for best picture, acting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Reuters) - Independent studio A24 was the big winner at Sunday's Academy Awards, taking nine awards out of its 18 nominations, including best picture and all four acting prizes. The studio's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Oscars, the most of the evening, including best picture. However, Brendan Fraser took the best actor prize for A24's "The Whale," which also won for best makeup and hairstyling. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017.

☆ Guillermo del Toro wins best animated feature film for 'Pinocchio'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

By Danielle BroadwayLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" won the Academy Award for best animated feature film on Sunday, the third Oscar of his career. Del Toro, 58, reimagines the classic story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who dreams of being a real boy, who is cared for by carver Geppetto. However, the story of the Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) film is set in Fascist Italy during the interwar period and World War Two. "Pinocchio" prevailed over other popular nominees A24's stop-motion film "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" and the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) 3D animated film "Turning Red." Del Toro has many accolades, including his 2018 Oscar wins for best picture and best director for "The Shape of Water."

LOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Independent film studio A24 emerged as the big winner at Oscar night on Sunday, sweeping every major category, propelled by the quirky, reality-bending film "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and the drama "The Whale." The studio claimed a total of nine Academy Awards, with "Everything Everywhere All at Once" receiving seven Oscars, including for best picture, director, actress, original screenplay and supporting actor and actress. Disney's leading Oscar contender, "The Banshees of Inisherin," received multiple nominations, but no awards. CNN celebrated its first Oscar win for "Navalny," a portrait of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which won best documentary feature film. NBCUniversal collected 15 nominations, led by Universal Picture’s "The Fabelmans," directed by Steven Spielberg, and six for "Tar" from Focus Features, but no Oscars.

☆ Champagne carpet and crisis team ready for Oscars celebration on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In case of an unexpected twist, a crisis response team will be on hand at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Several of 2022's biggest hits at the multiplex landed in the best picture race, from "Top Gun" and "Everything Everywhere" to "Elvis" and "Avatar: The Way of Water." To change up the look, organizers swapped out the traditional red carpet for the first time since 1961, opting instead for a champagne color. "Everything Everywhere All at Once," an offbeat story about a Chinese-American laundromat owner struggling to finish her taxes, comes in as the favorite to win best picture. The dimension-hopping kung fu adventure has swept the major Hollywood awards in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.

☆ Offbeat multiverse movie 'Everything Everywhere' dominates the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The movie claimed seven awards overall, including three of the four acting Oscars for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis, who built a career in horror films such as "Halloween," won best supporting actress for playing a frumpy tax agent named Deirdre Beaubeirdre. "The Whale" star Brendan Fraser, known for 1990s roles such as "The Mummy" and "Encino Man," won best actor for playing a severely obese man trying to reconnect with his daughter. "Naatu Naatu," a song from the Indian movie "RRR" that created a viral dance sensation, was honored as best original song. The 95th Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast live on Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ABC network.

☆ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ studio A24 captures Oscar spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LOS ANGELES, March 10 (Reuters) - A24, the independent studio behind such films as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and "The Whale," is poised to dominate this year’s Academy Awards, eclipsing Hollywood’s established studios and awards-hungry streamers that are spending millions on Oscar campaigns. Not since the heyday of Miramax in the 1990s has an independent studio garnered such attention, talent and box office success, entertainment industry insiders say. EVERYTHING EVERYWHEREThe first film A24 produced and financed, together with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, was “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2017. The studio has garnered 53 Oscar nominations in less than a decade, including best picture nods for “Lady Bird, “Minari” and “Room.”A24's film slate has grown at the pace of its cash flow - starting with three movies in 2016 to 15 in 2022. This year, it’s on track to produce about 15 films for theatrical release, eight documentaries and 10 television shows.

☆ Disney reconsiders making content for others under Bob Iger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 9 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Chief Executive Bob Iger Thursday said the studio may resume making films and television shows for its rivals, marking a departure from recent years, when its production resources were harnessed to launch and grow its marquee Disney+ steaming service. Iger told the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco that streaming services have traditionally relied on a volume of fresh content to attract subscribers. "As we look to reduce the content that we're creating for our own platforms, there probably are opportunities to license to third parties," Iger said. "For a while, that was something we couldn't possibly do because we were so favoring our own streaming platforms. Iger returned to Disney in November, less than a year after he retired, as the entertainment company sought to boost investor confidence and profits at its streaming media unit.

☆ What could go wrong? Oscars team prepares for anything after Will Smith slap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LOS ANGELES, March 8 (Reuters) - Organizers of Sunday's 95th Academy Awards are preparing for the unexpected after Will Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock convulsed Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony last year. For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has created a crisis team to respond to any mishaps. The organization has not disclosed details about the membership of the crisis team or how it may react to anything out of the ordinary. Weiss said the team was planning to pepper the show with moments that they hope would spread on Twitter and TikTok. Pop superstar Rihanna will sing her nominated song "Lift Me Up" from "Wakanda Forever."

☆ DeSantis' hand-picked Walt Disney World oversight board meets for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Octavio JonesMarch 8 (Reuters) - A new board controlling Walt Disney World's special taxing district in Florida will meet for the first time on Wednesday, as Governor Ron DeSantis' hand-picked group gets ready to end the entertainment giant's "corporate kingdom." Nothing in the language of the legislation creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District gives the board of supervisors authority to direct Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) content. "The District board members are now in place and will be examining all of the needed actions to get back on track," Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said on Tuesday. Legislators in Florida passed a bill in February giving DeSantis effective control over a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort. “Shameful to see Disney continue to use children as pawns to advance their WOKE political agenda,” Ziegler tweeted.

☆ Bath & Body Works adds director, Third Point backs off proxy fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Shoppers wait in line outside a Bath and Body Works retail store in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) on Monday named veteran financial executive and board member Thomas Kuhn as a new director, ending a potential challenge from billionaire investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point. "Tom’s 35 year history as a respected financial and legal advisor, including working with consumer companies, will bring an important perspective to Bath & Body Works as it focuses on its key strategic initiatives to maximize shareholder value," Bath & Body Works board chair Sarah Nash said in a statement. Bath & Body Works, which is valued at roughly $10 billion, has been operating as a standalone company since 2021. At Bath & Body Works the company was advised by law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, financial services company J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, proxy solicitor Innisfree M&A Inc and public relations firm Joele Frank.

Diverse creators are building incubators, their own production pipelines and venues where they can screen work and receive feedback and support each other. Of the 13,252 Oscar nominees since 1929, 6% are from underrepresented ethnicities, a USC Annenberg Inclusion at the Academy Awards report concludes. Located in Atlanta and Los Angeles, it creates collaborative spaces for diverse talent to support each other. As the most underrepresented group in the industry, Latino talent is also keen to change their narrative. There were 32 years without Latino nominees at the Academy Awards, with the most recent shutout in 2002.

☆ Ron DeSantis attacks liberals in California speech as he mulls White House run
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SIMI VALLEY, CA March 5 (Reuters) - Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took his fight against liberalism deep into the Democratic territory of California on Sunday, part of a national road show as he lays the ground for an expected White House bid. While he has not yet announced a White House bid, one candidate who has - former Republican President Donald Trump - clearly views DeSantis as a major potential threat as the Republican nominating contest kicks into gear. Trump has already launched personal and political attacks on DeSantis as the race for the Republican Party's 2024 White House nomination begins to heat up. DeSantis also took aim at the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), which opposes a Florida law that restricts classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation. "There's a new sheriff in town," DeSantis declared, referring to what he has called the end of Disney's "corporate kingdom."

☆ Australian cerebral palsy advocate hopes Disney creates princess with disabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Cordelia Hsu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 3 (Reuters) - Hannah Diviney, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, is hoping Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) will create a princess character with disabilities, spearheading a campaign that has garnered support from Reese Witherspoon, Jameela Jamil and Mark Hamill. "The campaign is basically to create a disabled Disney princess and the reason for that specifically is because Disney princesses are the ones that get the most visibility," Diviney told Reuters in an interview. Diviney began an online campaign for Disney to create a princess character with disabilities in 2020 and the petition has now received 64,000 signatures. Diviney last year called out Beyonce and Lizzo on Twitter for using 'spaz', a derogatory term for spastic diplegia, in their songs. Cerebral palsy affects a person's ability to move and maintain posture, affecting around 0.1% of Australia's near 26 million population.

☆ S.Africa's MultiChoice and Comcast to create Africa-wide streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 2 (Reuters) - Africa's biggest pay TV company, MultiChoice Group (MCGJ.J), said on Thursday it had entered into an agreement with U.S.-based media conglomerate Comcast (CMCSA.O) to create a pan-Africa video streaming platform. The new streaming service, which will be built on MultiChoice's streaming platform Showmax, will be 70% owned by the company, it said. While MultiChoice has the biggest market share in pay TV in Africa, it has been struggling to penetrate deeper with Showmax due to competition from Netflix (NFLX.O), Amazon's (AMZN.O) streaming service and Disney (DIS.N). With the streaming companies now training their guns on sports rights in Africa, MultiChoice is being threatened in a market in which it has been a leader. The new streaming service will combine MultiChoice's accelerating investment in local content with an extensive pipeline of international content licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky, the company said.

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