Alan Horn to Head Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Company announced today that Alan Horn has been named Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, where he will oversee worldwide operations for the studio as well as production, distribution, and marketing for live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel, as well as distribution and marketing for DreamWorks Studios films.

It appears that in Horn Disney has found someone with a wealth of studio experience. Horn, who was head of Warner Bros. for 12 years. Films released under Horn’s regime at Warner Bros. include the Harry Potter films, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Sherlock Holmes, Batman Begins, and the Oceans Eleven trilogy

The position of head of the Disney Studios has been vacant since Rich Ross was pushed out in mid-April in the wake of the box office failure of Disney’s John Carter, which forced the studio into an embarrassing $200 million write-off and upset former Marvel owner Ike Perlmutter.  There was some speculation that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige would take the job, but position of Disney studio chief, which involves dealing with and placating the company’s various sacrosanct fiefdoms (Pixar, Marvel, and distributing for DreamWorks), is not exactly one of the prize jobs in Hollywood , though the Disney Studio does have the potential to contend for global box office domination if all the company's units are performing at peak levels.

It certainly hasn't  taken long for Horn to make some changes at Disney. The first acts of the new regime have been schedule changes. The studio has shifted the debut of Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, which stars Johnny Depp from May 31st of 2013 to July 3rd, 2013, and it also moved Thor 2 from November 15th, 2013 to November 8th. While these scheduling tweaks appear minor, Horn appears to have definite opinions on how to get the most out of the studio’s slate of films. The move of Thor 2 makes a lot of sense in that it will give the movie a full two weeks at the box office before the debut of The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire on November 22nd.

Marvel to Shoot "Iron Man 3" in China

Disney and its Marvel Studios unit announced that it will co-produce Iron Man 3 in China with the DMG Group. Yes producing films in China is cheaper, but the real reason behind this announcement is that Disney and Marvel want a share of the growing Chinese market. China has a tough import quota on foreign films with typically fewer than 40 per year allowed in Chinese theaters. But for films that are chosen, exposure in Chinese theaters can provide a big boost to the bottom line. James Cameron’s Titanic 3D has already made twice as much ($88 million) in China as it has here, and last year’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon took in a solid $145 million in China, 18% of the film’s overseas earnings.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the DMG Group has excellent ties with the Chinese government run State Film Agency, connections that can help with production and with getting the final product into Chinese theaters. DMG will help Disney and Marvel “localize” the film so that its content resonates with Chinese audiences. For example Iron Man 3 will feature Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley in the role of the film's chief villain. Many observers speculated originally that Kingsley might play the notorious Iron Man villain, the Mandarin, but if that is the case, it likely won’t be the original “Cold War” version of the character who worked closely with China’s communist government as he battled Tony Stark.

If Kingsley does play the Mandarin, which appears less likely now (though not necessarily impossible), it will present the screenwriters with the problem of how to frame a Chinese villain in a movie about a western superhero that the studio is hoping will have a major appeal to Chinese audiences.

Disney Expands Ties With Stan Lee After Marvel Acquisition

The same day that its acquisition of Marvel was finalized, The Walt Disney Company announced that it was expanding its ties with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment. The Disney Studios signed a “first look” agreement with Pow! in 2007 . Under the new agreement, Walt Disney Studios gains enhanced rights to the creative output of Pow! Entertainment as well as exclusive consulting services. In addition Disney has taken a 10% equity stake in Pow! with an investment of $2.5 million.

Bob Chapek, President of Worldwide Distribution for the Disney Studios, commented on the new agreement: “Stan has incredible creative energy and continues to come up with great original stories that can work across many of our platforms, ranging from console games to motion pictures and from our boys-focused Disney XD network to mobile devices. Put that together with his knowledge and familiarity of the Marvel universe and it makes perfect sense to extend our excellent working relationship with Stan and POW!