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Bad day to be an executive at Walt Disney Studios. Deadline has confirmed that Bruce Hendricks, president of physical production for Walt Disney Studios was let go this morning. And Marcia Ross, EVP of feature castings at Walt Disney Studios also has been dropped. The studio is streamlining.
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Disney had a great quarter, and if I recall correctly, all divisions posted big increases except the film group. Even with TS3 and Alice grossing a billion dollars each, this division was still the laggard.
What else can Rich Ross do to stop the bleeding? Cut the overhead or, maybe, make some better movies….
Ross may have two more years tops, and then Bob Iger will start the film division rebuilding all over…again.
… Have any projects from the Ross administration even been released yet?
I could swear almost everything Disney released last year, and is releasing through the end of this year (and a little beyond, even) are still projects created or announced during the latter end of Dick Cook’s run. (May’s “Pirates 4″ and November’s “the Muppets”, and the yet to be filmed “The Lone Ranger”, for example.)
Rich is contemplating green lighting a live action version of “The Three Caballeros” with the Jonas Brothers.
First one is in the next month or two: Prom Night…which exactly no one in the world will care about seeing….and that includes the targeted youth demographic.
Prom Night old regime project.
Who needs a head of casting and physical production when you DON’T MAKE ANY MOVIES?
These are still the Dick Cook/Oren Aviv pics. Ross and Sean Bailey have been on the job for over a year and have greenlit exactly ONE movie.
If only they were as good at making movies as they are issuing press releases about making movies.
Pathetic.
I totally agree. My first comment does not take fully into consideration that Rich Ross and team really have had none of their films in the marketplace.
The question is, “Other then Prom the teen flick, and Pirates 4, Muppets, and Lone Ranger…even with Depp playing Tonto (OMG)…what new films, franchises or creative vision have Rich and his team demonstrated to bring revenue and, equally important, respect to the Disney brand.
And, Pixar does not count in this.
Rich, being the head of a studio means developing meaningful relationships with great filmmakers to create and produce terrific films…and, so far, I have seen nothing to indicate this is the direction which you are following for Disney.
Nothing personal…just business.
look, it’s clear what they are doing. the reason that sean/rich haven’t developed a single picture — there is nothing you bring up that wasn’t being developed under oren/dick — is that disney is moving out of the movie making game. watch, once they burn through the pictures they have to make, there will be a pixar film, a marvel film, some dreamworks titles, and probably 1-2 disney movies a year. that’s it. it’s no longer a movie studio which is why they have hired so many people who have no experience in film and you have so many folks either leaving or being pushed out — they woke up one day and found out they didn’t work at a movie studio but an incubator for brands and products.
Love this post. My guess is you and I have worked together. Or, perhaps we should?
As the walls close in around Rich, the firing parade will continue to march on, until that long awaited day shall come, when the ankling press release befalls upon none other than him.
God willing that day is soon. “Prom Night”? Seriously? Send his guy back to Disney Channel where he belongs.
Fred, the walls are closing in because he is making all the offices on the lot smaller so he can move all his buddies over from the tower. He better hurry. Shareholders wait for no one.
Anyone know anything about “The Odd Life of Timothy Green?”
Marcia Ross is a fantastic Casting Director who has worked hard to build a great career.
I am saddened to hear this news as I don’t think she deserves to be cut like this. But I am sure she will bounce back quickly.
“Fantastic”? “Worked hard”? Uh, no I don’t think so.
I have worked in the Disney feature casting department with Marcia and the entire two years I was there I could never understand why any of us were there in the first place. The vast majority of our daily job duties consisted of trying to find things to do to fill up the work week with completely unnecessary things to do – if we weren’t busy helping Marcia decide what kind of car she wanted or hear about her daughter’s accomplishments all day long. Jeez, even my vacations were busier and more productive.
In a meeting, who needs yet one more opinion about an actor? I’m only surprised this cut wasn’t done many years ago.
Really, Really?
Your comments are rude, and they are more a reflection of your own poor work ethics than any one else’s.
Why do the majority of all of her other co-workers find her a pleasure to work with and hard working?
I wish you would REALLY use your real name so the rest of us would know not to hire you. Your anonymous cheap shots are of poor taste.
Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve been around casting folks that I forgot how self-important many of them tend to be. And that self-importance and ego can be measured proportionally alongside their actual unimportance to the chain of command in any production.
I wasn’t referring to Marcia’s loss of a job specifically but to the fact that I never understood why there were “casting departments” in the first place. It’s a waste of money evidenced by the dirty little secret that all casting directors know about their executive superiors in the casting departments but will never discuss openly for fear of not getting any more work from them: THERE IS NOTHING TO DO! Casting directors do fine on their own, thank you very much.
And no need to worry, Howard, I won’t be applying to you or “the rest of us” for casting work anytime soon. I do real creative work now in the real world of production.
You lost a crucial part of your crux giving up Marcia Ross. I’ve seen that gal in action and no one works harder than her, not to mention the razor sharp instinct,relationship savvy, creative and efficient ability to supply on demand just what’s right…you blew it big time Disney…
Marcia Ross is a class act. She has great taste, knows the talent pool, and couldn’t be kinder or more collaborative. Consider this a break, Marcia — the bean counters at Disney don’t deserve you.
Marcia is indeed a great gal and it is a loss to see her go.
Bruce – on the other hand – is a snarky, smug, arrogant, dismissive dick who would rather play his guitar (loudly and poorly) than actually do anything so no tear shedding here. Yeah yeah – XGAMES in IMAX. BFD. Who cares? And the Miley concert film was a sure thing no matter who did it.
Surprised Bruce didn’t leave ages ago to become a Line Producer. I guess it gets cushy behind the desk. Time to cash in all those stock options.
THIS is a bad day to be a Disney executive?
Ross needs to go along with MT Carney, both do nothing.
Prom is the only movie Ross has greenlight and l I doubt it’s going to make a billion dollars.
What is Iger thinking?? how long can these two last?
Marcia Ross is the best. I worked with her at WB-TV a while back, and I’ve never known a casting exec with better instincts about talent, a more nuanced view of material, or more determination to fight through the layers of handlers to deliver the right actors to every project. It was a constant pleasure to deal with her. What a bonehead move this is.
who knows what’s happening internally, but these positions will have to be replaced, no? they haven’t officially greenlit, but they got a bunch of live action flicks in the works: 20,000 Leagues, Haunted Mansion, Oz, John Carter, Magic Kingdom flick, some stuff with the writer of The Blind Side
John Carter of Mars is already done. It’s in year-long post-production now. But yeah, other than the stuff that was already put in the pipeline by Cook, nothing seems to be happening over at Disney. It’s very discouraging.
Sean is a lovely, smart guy and the sooner he stops being head of WDS and goes back to making movies the better. The studio system is utterly broken. It’s now become comical — the studios are in business to NOT make movies. The rolls of the dice get bigger and bigger. Soon, one of those rolls will take down a studio, just as Heaven’s Gate did. Only, this time, not from ambition, but lack of it.
Exactly. What I have never understood is why all the studios haven’t collectively created (forgive me Nikki) a DH style website to publicize all the studios new releases on ONE SITE, like DH, like HuffPo, a one stop shop every week for moviegoers that would allow them all to save hundreds of millions per year in advertising.
They certainly can and do unite whenever a WGA contract is up. Why not something that would save them all hundreds of millions per year in ad revenue?
Just say “no” to spending all those crazy dollars on 30 second spots. Create and aggressively promote a one stop shop for all studio films and thus be able to go back to making lots of 30M films that won’t make a billion, BUT WON’T BRING DOWN THE STUDIO.
Disney makes movies?
Pixar + DreamWorks Live Action + Bruckheimer + Kidsploitation = Disney.
You can add in Marvel in a few years.
As director Richard Fleischer (of the original 20,000 Leagues) said in an interview a few years back:
“Disney studios would never make the 20,000 Leagues that I did. Today, they’d think it’s too dark.”
Yeah. Walt Disney made movies that Iger & Ross think are TOOO DARK. What am I missing here? Who was the better filmmaker, Iger & Ross or Walt???
PROM is the first new one? Wow what a stinker, and a lazy absent minded stinker at that…I read the script and just saw the trailer both of which were bad. Normally, i dont think it’s right to blame the screenwriter, but on this one the failure lays in it’s inception…simply there is NO demographic for this movie except parents who are dying to take their children to something that’s not animated.
No high schooler wants to see disney depict prom…that’s uncool. Every kid wants to be 5 years older, not go through what theyre going through right now and especially not disnefied. so are 6th graders gonna go see this? Nope, they dont care about proms, and younger kids will relate less.
So, you have a movie with no audience written by a screenwriter whose simply guessing (and guessing so poorly, really not a good script at all) as to what this nonexistant audience might like.
It’s so frustrating when this type of movie is done so poorly because there’s so few these days, especially at the studio level, and this turd will make it that much harder. Movie doesn’t cost a lot, i know, but it also just kills whats so special about movies in that, theres nothing special about this one, not ideally, not practically, not in the attempt nor in the execution…For some reason this movie has really bummed me out, and when it does tepid to terrible numbers it will bum me out that much more because it has robbed me of my joy and of my excitement for movies in general.
Thanks Disney, the least magical studio on earth.
Lets hope there is a string os VP and EXEC VP firings that go along with it. The valuable production executives there can be counted on one finger. The rest are just filling space.
Hmm..some of u have worked together? Ahhh…that would explain why Disney films division sucks. No wonder why they are desperate to take over the distributing rights of the oversaturated Marvel line.
I get a kick seeing all the disney cockroaches..errr.. employees or assistants crawl out of their hole after the news of these firings. Is that who comes to these forums? Former employees or pea ons who are trolls? Haha
Glad to see you have time between serving breakfast and lunch to criticize. Nice that you have internet service at the restaurant, but the orders must be piling up. Back to work for you.
Excuse me, can I please have some moe iced tea?
STOP bashing waiters…1) this is no shame in this profession, trying to make a living especially in an industry that caters to the already wealthy, 2) its a stale joke used on almost EVERY thread, come on, add SOMETHING to the discussion that isn’t knee jerk unfunny and 3) you sound like dirtbags calling anyone who hadn’t made it a peon, you are the reason the industry that people love to knock has this reputation.
now if you dont mind, my shift starts in another ten minutes, and i think Brad grey’s second assistant just sat down at one of my tables.
Idiots. I was thinking exactly the same thing and I live in CANADA and work in the TECHNOLOGY industry! The entertainment industry is falling apart because you all don’t think, but KNOW you know everything. I only explain so you don’t ask what table I am serving.
Darn, there’s nothing funny about Canada. You win. Now where the heck is that iced tea?
Have you guys seen the level of talent Disney is getting for their films these days? Sony’s The Social Network became one of the most critical acclaimed films of 2010, so Disney hired him to direct 20,000 Leagues. They hired Jason Segel to develop The Muppets, based on his celebrated puppetry-related work in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It was Ross who brought Rob Marshall to the fourth Pirates movie and Gore Verbinski to The Lone Ranger. And speaking of Ross, he was at Sundance this year, searching for more talent for Disney’s mainstream films.
Also, what’s this about Disney not doing dark films? For Haunted Mansion, they hired Guillermo del Toro – who is such a fan of the theme park attraction, he actually has a room in his house dedicated to it. And for Oz, Disney got Sam Raimi, the guy responsible for Evil Dead and Drag Me To Hell*.
*And Spider-Man 3. I know, I know. But that was one smudge on Raimi’s otherwise excellent resume.
Anyway, my point is this: If you dislike Disney’s films or management, it’s fine. But let’s not pretend that Ross and Co. aren’t doing anything.
I believe it was Cook that attached Segel to the Muppets. The Fincher/20K and del Toro/Haunted Mansion talk is just talk at this point, nothing is official.
My big concern is this– Disney is clearly trying to “outsource” all of its film production, but what happens when the outsourcing fails and they have no infrastructure to develop their own product?
Bruckheimer’s two big tentpoles for Disney flopped last year. The deal with Zemeckis hasn’t really panned out and they’ve already decided to let it die. I don’t really see anything in the upcoming DreamWorks slate that looks like a hit. Marvel’s mixed record is not entirely comforting (by “mixed” I refer to Incredible Hulk, the Ed Norton fiasco, Favreau complaining about interference with IM2 and then leaving the franchise, etc.).
It just looks like Disney is painting itself into a corner.
Chapek?
Marcia Ross is the best to ever do what she did in a position like that. Period. I say this having worked in that department with her for over 7 years. I have no idea what “really” is talking about as they are essentially saying nothing happens in a department that I can promise you was filled w/ more work than one could even handle in a day. Marcia raised the bar and only those who couldn’t rise to meet it were left behind. I learned everything I know about this business from her and am so thankful I did. She not only handled the job of executive but she did so while also acting as the casting director on films in house. Among some of the actors she fought for to have their first leads in feature films were Anne Hathaway, Chris Pine, Heath Ledger and many more. You can have whatever personal feelings you might but no one can deny how brilliant she was in that position. She will go on to have a very successful independent casting career.
Kate –
You’re certainly entitled to your high opinion of Marcia (though I respectfully differ). However, one important detail you omitted is that she also provided you with small roles in several Disney films – so it’s fair to say you have a financial interest in keeping on her good side.
Gummy– you’re a tacky jackass. Thought I’d point that out. Classless too.
a) false. have been cast by marcia zero times b) i have been friends with marcia since i left her department and have an emotional not financial interest and c) don’t be negative nellie. no one likes a sourpuss. i have my opinions of Marcia and you have yours. We are both entitled to them. Be well.
Kate:
With all due respect, you’re entitled to have your own opinions, I have my opinions and Gummy has his opinions. However Gummy’s opinions are proven to be quite true.
I’ll second everything Kate said, Marcia was always, always a pleasure to work with and an invaluable resource. Bruce was a good guy to work with as well, I’m surprised to hear about both of these decisions, which I can only assume have more to do with the inevitable march towards a producer based production system than the performance of either person.
Marcia Ross is one of the smartest and most prescient casting directors to ever practice that perishable profession. And she never loses sight of the big picture. Most of her number can’t even find the screen.