Right now over on the Disney lot in Los Angeles, newly installed bigwig Rich Ross (who replaced the well-respected Bob Iger last year) is doing a big song and dance about the studio’s upcoming slate, including a tribute to Jerry Bruckheimer (the super-producer has two movies for the studio opening this summer: “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”). Much of what’s being reported out of the presentation is old news (“Pirates 4” casting information, etc.) but there are a couple of big announcements in regards to Pixar’s upcoming slate.
First off, we were right a few weeks ago when we speculated that Brenda Chapman’s Viking fairy tale “The Bear and the Bow” would replace the recently shuttered “Newt,” premiering in American theaters on June 15th, 2012. (Although, it doesn’t seem like Disney ever officially announced that “Newt” was dead. Clearly, it is.) The film’s been retitled “Brave,” but still features Reese Witherspoon as a Scottish princess who dreams of becoming an archer. One of of the few major criticisms of the studio in recent years has been a lack of strong female role models in their films; hopefully this’ll redress the balance.
But the bigger news? The announcement that “Monsters Inc. 2,” which has been speculated about endlessly, but never confirmed as being in production, will hit a few months after “Brave,” on November 16th, 2012. Disney/Pixar hasn’t announced whether or not original director Pete Docter, fresh from having his latest film “Up” nominated for Best Picture and Best Animated Feature (it won the latter) at this year’s Oscars, will be helming the sequel. While we’re a little wary of all the sequels coming out of a studio known for its unbridled creativity, if Docter is directing again, we’ll be pretty jazzed.