Fallout From Success

This seems like a wise move.

Now that Warner Bros has pushed the release of its version of Jungle Book, the studio and director Andy Serkis have prevailed upon none other than the Oscar-winning Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron to come in and give notes on the project and see if there are ways to take the extra time to improve the picture. Insiders stress that Cuaron is a friend to the studio and there is sensitivity to this being misinterpreted as Cuaron taking over this movie. Production has been completed, but the filmmaker is doing this in an uncredited capacity.

Why not? Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Rhys are part of the all star cast, with Serkis playing Baloo as well as helming and producing. Callie Kloves adapted the Rudyard Kipling tale. Disney beat this film to the punch, and its Jungle Book has become such a big hit, there really is no reason to rush. Earlier this month, Warner Bros pushed the release date from October 2017 to October 2018. ...

And, of course, Disney has already announced everybody will re-team for a sequel. Since the current offering will likely close in on a billion dollars before all the turnstiles stop twirling, there's no surprise about that, whatsoever.

The studio's animated catalogue has provided a veritable gusher of greenbacks: 101 Dalmations, Cinderella, Malificent, The Jungle Book, the upcoming Dumbo ... there are dozens of titles from which to squeeze dollars. And it will continue until the Mouse has made Snow White and the Eight Dwarfs and figured out a way to redo Victory Through Air Power in CGI.