The Hollywood Reporter had an interview with Co-Chairman of Disney/ABC Media Networks Ben Sherwood. Here are some highlights:
On Star Wars:
The live-action Star Wars plan rests in the hands of [Walt Disney Studios chairman] Alan Horn, [Lucasfilm president] Kathy Kennedy and the great folks at Lucasfilm. Somewhere we hope in a galaxy not too far away there will be a television show that will air on one of our networks. But I wouldn’t get anybody’s hopes up too high. They have a lot of movies to make between now and then. We are deep into a very productive relationship with Lucasfilm making [Disney XD’s] Star Wars Rebels. And we are in ongoing conversations with them on what is the next Star Wars animated show.
On New Deal with the Oscars:
We’re proud of our 40-year marriage with the Academy. In this town, that kind of longevity and success in a partnership is very rare. And our renewal sets us up nicely for the future. As part of a long-term renewal, we worked hard with the Academy to make sure that we had a little bit more creative input on how the show looks and feels, a little bit more flexibility on how we sell advertising and integrate advertising into the show, and a little bit more flexibility on how we distribute the program depending upon shifting business models and distribution. Win-win for ABC and the Academy and a great relationship extended.
On the Live with Kelly and Michael Debacle:
I have most definitely thought about it, and I think that enough has been said about it. (Laughs.) We made some mistakes, we fixed them quickly and we moved on. I was on the set of Live recently: The show is in great shape, Kelly is in a great place, the hunt for a new co-host is underway, the excitement is building, and I believe the future of that show is bright.