With NBCUniversal in the process of closing their $3.8 billion acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, there is some boardroom talk of who will be running what, and how. Basically, executives are jockeying for jobs. But whatever happens, NBCU is buying into a company that contains valuable brands, and a talent pool to help them realize their own projects. And they are going to utilize both.
THR reveals that among the first orders of business in this new corporate union is to get the already teased continuation of the “Shrek” series, “Shrek 5,” into cinemas in 2019, along with Edgar Wright’s developing “Shadows.”
The latter has been in the works for years, and was originally titled “Me and My Shadow,” with Bill Hader and Josh Gad attached for the leading voice roles. That project fell apart, and last fall, Edgar Wright came on board for a new version that he would direct, co-writing the screenplay with David Walliams. Exact details are still being kept mum, but the original story involved a shadow who decides to lead his own life, and becomes untethered from his boring human counterpart.
At any rate, it’s good to know these projects are still moving, but the question is whether or not they’ll fall under the stewardship of Illumination Entertainment mastermind Chris Meledandri, who everyone seems to want to run the new conglomerate animation studio. It’s easy to see why — he’s massively successful, with “The Secret Life Of Pets,” “Despicable Me” and “Minions” under his belt — but apparently he’s hesitant.
We’ll let the suits sort it out, but if Disney thought that Universal’s success in the animation realm was a mere blip, it looks like they’ll have some considerable competition in the years ahead.