Steve Asbell, president of 20th Century Studios, recently did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, giving an updated look at the studio as a whole and several upcoming projects.
(Disney)
What’s Happening:
- Steve Asbell, who took over as president of 20th Century Studios in March 2020 with nearly 20 years of history with the company, gave fans a peek at the inner workings of the studio under Disney’s ownership in a THR interview on March 3rd.
- Asbell praised Disney for embracing 20th Century Studios, giving them a period of significant growth, now making more than 10 films per year.
- Much of the studio’s content will be direct-to-streaming on Hulu and Star/Star+ internationally in genres that Disney-branded content doesn’t usually touch, like adult comedy, thriller, young adult, and horror.
- The first film released that was greenlit under Steve Asbell’s leadership was No Exit, which is now streaming on Hulu.
- 20th Century Studios will release an average of 3 films theatrically per year, typically within established franchises, although they are looking at each film one a case-by-case basis with regards to distribution strategies.
- Steve Asbell gave updates on the following franchises:
- Avatar – The first sequel, Avatar 2, is on track to make its 2022 release date and Asbell says it’s not really a sequel, but part of a family saga. “It’s going to blow people away,” he’s quoted as saying.
- Free Guy – A script for the sequel to the summer blockbuster is days away from being completed.
- Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie Poirot Series – A 3rd film is in the works following the success of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. It is based on a lesser-known Christie novel with a screenplay by Michael Green, who wrote the previous two films.
- Planet of the Apes – Wes Ball is attached to direct the next film, which will begin filming in late summer/early fall.
- Predator – Asbell said he’s very excited about Prey, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and set in 1719.
- The change in studio ownership had no effect on the studio’s longstanding relationship with filmmakers like Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and James Mangold.
- You can read the full article and interview here.
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