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Disney+ is developing a female-centered Star Wars series that will be written and showrun by Lesley Headland, a co-creator of Netflix’s Emmy-winning dramedy series Russian Doll. Deadline has confirmed the gist of the series. While the exact plot is under wraps, but the series is understood to be a female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements and set in an alternate timeline from the usual Star Wars universe. Disney declined comment on the project, which was first reported by Variety. It marks the latest Disney+ original series in the Star Wars universe, following the successful The Mandalorian created by Jon...

Walt Disney will stop paying more than 100,000 employees from this week as it struggles with coronavirus closures. The world's biggest entertainment group operates theme parks and hotels in the US, Europe and Asia. Stopping pay for almost half of its workforce will save Disney up to $500m (£400m) a month, according to the Financial Times. Disney made operating income of $1.4bn for its parks, experiences and products in the last three months of 2019. The company said it will provide full healthcare benefits for staff placed on unpaid leave and urged its US employees to apply for government benefits...

Disney's kids' cartoon "DuckTales" has introduced a gay couple — two dads — as the parents of Violet, who's a friend of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, LGBTQ Nation reported. Violet's dads adopt her friend Lena in the episode, the outlet said, adding that Violet dubs her "my sister from a couple of misters." Their names are Tyrian "Ty" Sabrewing and Indigo "Indy" Sabrewing, LGBTQ Nation said. They both wear T-shirts with the phrase "I'M WITH DAD" on the front along with arrows pointing at each other. What does the show's co-executive producer have to say? "DuckTales" co-executive producer and story...

Several weeks ago, we detailed how American mainstream media outlets were intent on parroting communist propaganda talking points coming from disinformation ministers in Beijing. At first glance, it would be easy to write this disturbing surrender of journalistic integrity to advanced stages of Trump Derangement System. It would be reasonable to suspect that reporters, producers, anchors and editors held such an intense zeal to oppose, resist and damage President Trump that they'd even stoop so low as to hand their bylines over to propagandists supporting the totalitarian murderers at the top of the Red China food chain. However, something even...

Disney continues to pepper children with the gay agenda, this time with Season 3, Episode 1 of the DuckTales reboot, which airs on Disney Plus and Disney XD. The children’s cartoon introduced Violet’s two gay dads to the show, showing that Disney has no qualms about paving the way for kids to learn about the intricacies of backdoor bufflehead bandits. The show joins other recent Disney properties, such as Beauty and The Beast and Onward, in adding gayness into children’s media in order to normalize the lifestyle. Centrists™ will be quick to say, “There’s nothing wrong with promoting the gay...

Disney has targeted Robin Hood as the latest of its animated classics to get the remake treatment. Carlos Lopez Estrada, perhaps best known for directing the 2018 crime movie Blindspotting, is on board to helm the project, which is being written by Kari Granlund. Granlund already is in the Disney fold after having written the studio’s recent remake of Lady and the Tramp. Justin Springer, who counts the studio’s Dumbo and Tron Legacy among his credits, is producing the feature being developed for the studio’s Disney+ streaming service. Robin Hood was a comedic and musical take on the famous tale,...

J. Arthur Bloom said Wednesday that American media outlets doing the bidding of the Chinese might not be entirely ideologically driven. Bloom, a Daily Caller alum and managing editor of The American Conservative, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that Comcast had business ties to Beijing that could explain the company-wide trepidation in directly challenging the coronavirus claims coming out of China. Carlson, co-founder of the Caller, began the segment by noting that anti-Trump bias could be driving some media outlets to side with China, but Bloom said that at least with regard to Comcast — parent company of NBC...

Disney+ is developing a reboot of Doogie Howser, M.D. with the main role focusing on a 16-year-old half-Asian, half-white female. According to Variety, the upcoming Disney+ original series takes the star to Hawaii and features a name change to Doogie Kealoha, M.D. Kourtney Kang is listed as a writer and executive producer alongside Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar and Dayna and Jesse Bochco. 20th Century Fox will produce the Doogie Kealoha, M.D., which also produced on the original series starring Neil Patrick Harris.

Think the lines were long already? Disney executive chairman Bob Iger said the company may institute temperature check at its theme parks once they reopen. In an interview with Barron’s, he said he thinks that might make a traumatized population feel safer once people venture out again. “One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe. Some of that could come in the form ultimately of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny,...

Disney executives are pushing back on the company's decision to temporarily cut their six-figure salaries just a day after 'non-essential' workers were told that they were being placed on furlough from April 19. The grumblings about their five to 20 percent pay cuts have been branded 'selfish and sad' as many lesser-paid employees face weeks and even months furloughed as the Disney parks remain closed until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger announced he will forgo his entire multi-million dollar salary and other top executives will take pay cuts after parks...

A Florida man allegedly attempted to eat a stolen debit card when he was confronted by police officers after attempting to use the card to purchase goods at Walt Disney World. Orange County police deputies arrested Jose Herrera, 27, on Monday. He had been held by Disney security after being caught while buying gift cards and jewelry at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World's shopping center, with the stolen card, which is believed to have been taken from a deceased Ohio man. Herrera allegedly tried to eat the evidence of his crime, with officers witnessing him attempting to chomp down on...

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of movie theaters in the country had begun to reopen. No reason for the policy reversal was given, but insiders believe the government is worried about a potential second wave of coronavirus infections. China's film regulators has slammed the brakes on plans to gradually reopen the country's cinemas. Over 600 movie theaters across China were given the green light to reopen their doors over the past week, but Beijing's Film Bureau put out a notice late Friday ordering all theaters to go back into shutdown. No official explanation for the sudden reversal was provided....

Disney will not be adding the 1946 animation Song Of The South to its Disney+ streaming service because it is “not appropriate in today’s world,” the company’s executive chairman Bob Iger said this week. Iger made the remarks during Disney’s annual shareholder’s meeting on Wednesday when he was asked a question as to whether the full Disney library will be available on the service. “I’ve felt, for as long as I’ve been CEO, that Song of the South – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today’s world,” he said. “Given the depictions in some of those...

Disney will temporarily 'pause production' on a slew of its live-action films as a result of the growing coronavirus threat. 'We have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time,' announced a Disney representative in a statement released Friday. Although 'there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19' on Disney sets, the halt comes as a result of the company 'considering the current environment and the best interests' of cast and crew. Projects currently suspended include the live-action The Little Mermaid. cording to The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Pan & Wendy and Shrunk,...

Disney on Thursday announced it will be closing Disneyland and California Adventure Park from Saturday through the end of the month as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise in Southern California and nationwide. ---SNIP--- The move was made shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for the cancelation of large, non-essential public gatherings in California, though he exempted theme parks and casinos from the directive. "After carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California's executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland...

Disneyland and other large theme parks will not required to comply with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order against large gatherings to counter the spread of COVID-19. Newsom said California public health officials issued an updated policy saying “non-essential” gatherings such as sporting events, concerts and conferences should be postponed or canceled until at least the end of March.

Bob Chapek, the brand-new CEO of entertainment giant Disney, was confronted over the documented anti-conservative bias at ABC News but refused to address the facts at this month’s annual shareholders meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. ..“If Chapek’s first stop as Disney CEO was truly to the ABC News headquarters in New York City, and he saw no indicia of anti-conservative bias, then Disney investors should run for the hills,” But Danhoff also noted that the applause of those in the room was “heartening.” “After I asked my question, I was heartened by the applause in the room,” Danhof said of...

Connor Reed, a 25-year-old expat from Llandudno in North Wales, has worked in a school in Wuhan, China, for almost a year. In November he became the first British man to catch the coronavirus...Day 9: Even the kitten hanging around my apartment seems to be feeling under the weather. It isn’t its usual lively self, and when I put down food it doesn’t want to eat...Day 11: Suddenly, I’m feeling better, physically at least. The flu has lifted. But the poor kitten has died. I don’t know whether it had what I’ve got, or whether cats can even get human...

One Walt Disney World attraction just became a little too immersive for riders. Around midday on Thursday, one of the boats used in the classic Jungle Cruise ride at the Orlando theme park started sinking while filled with passengers. Witnesses documented the mishap on social media, showing guests still standing inside the boat as the murky water slowly rose around their legs. All those on board were safely rescued, but later images captured the vessel nearly completely submerged, its canopy roof still visible and what appears to be a lone park employee on board. “Our boat on the jungle cruise...

Bob Iger will step down as Disney CEO and assume the role of executive chairman, Disney announced on Tuesday. Bob Chapek, who most recently served as chairman of Disney parks, experiences and products, will assume the role of CEO, effective immediately, Disney announced. Shares of Disney fell about 2.5% after hours. Iger will remain executive chairman of Disney through the end of 2021, according to the company. He has been instrumental in making Disney a media powerhouse with key acquisitions and content plays. He launched Disney+, immediately making Disney a popular streaming service provider. Disney said the service had 26.5...