Disney Showcases TV, Movie Slate

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PREMIUM: A surprise appearance by movie star Forest Whitaker to promote a brand-new series called Godfather of Harlem and a clever clip from the upcoming animated pic Ralph Breaks the Internet highlighted Disney’s annual bash for foreign TV buyers on the studio’s backlot in Burbank Sunday night.

In his unmistakably breathy, actorly voice, Whitaker told the assembled executives that the upcoming series for EPIX would be “gritty, raw and set right on the streets of Harlem,” where, he explained, the real-life drug kingpin Ellsworth Johnson once ruled. As for the animation sequence from the Wreck-it Ralph sequel, which was screened for the first time, it featured a delightfully wry yet pertinent exchange about diversity between Vanellope (voiced Sarah Silverman) and a gaggle of Disney princesses, which one buyer based in Asia described as having “that magic thing that touches you, but doesn’t bang you over the head. And, it made me laugh.”

The outdoor event at the Burbank studio kicks into high gear the marathon week of pilot screenings at the major Hollywood studios. More than 1,000 from among 1,800 overseas program buyers in town for the week converged on the Mouse House for its 18th annual presentation of new series and movies for distribution overseas.

During the next five days, swathes of foreign buyers will daily traipse from one Hollywood studio to another to assess the new fare soon to be available for their stations or digital platforms back home. The Screenings are the first chance each year for buyers to see what they have to commit to in their ongoing volume deals with the U.S. major suppliers or what they might want to pick up on the open market.

With so much content being created Stateside right now—a staggering 500 scripted shows per annum—and so much good material also being produced locally in major territories abroad, it’s definitely a buyer’s market, with prices per show rising only minimally year after year, except for the biggest hits.

For what regards the Mouse House, things could not be more different from last year’s gathering of foreign TV clients on the backlot: The Walt Disney Company is in the midst of a game-changing takeover of Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox and FX programming assets—this huge acquisition taking place as ABC reorients itself in the wake of uber-producer Shonda Rhimes’ departure for Netflix, most of her prime-time ABC shows having been key performers in the overseas market. And, like all of its rivals, ABC is coming off a roller-coaster year, as broadcast ratings continue to slip from the impact of digital dynamos like Netflix and Amazon, not to mention a lot of executive time and energy focused on pending mergers. Also, like all the other Big Five webs, ABC’s new contenders mostly hail from its sister studio, which came to be viewed as an ambitious or a risky gambit.

Despite these head-spinning, not to say headache-inducing, developments, the Alphabet actually ended the season on a decidedly upbeat note thanks to the success of its Roseanne reboot—and as a result is doubling down on multi-camera comedies to take advantage of that momentum. (Think The Kids are Alright, which is among the net’s fall hopefuls and is working-class in its setting.) The only other bonafide hit of the just-wrapped season also helped buoy ratings on ABC: The Good Doctor, which came courtesy of Sony Pictures Television-based David Shore (and is licensed abroad by that indie studio).

Against this complicated, some would say roiling, landscape that is network television these days, Disney honchos came out optimistic and emphatic. They were also quite brief in their remarks, focused solely on programming, and not on the issues that loom over the biz. Cancellations, for example, rarely get a mention at these events, but several did occasion groans among overseas clients when announced in recent weeks. Sophomore series Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland, which is distributed abroad by Entertainment One (eOne), and the CIA suspenser Quantico, both solid performers internationally, as well as frosh contender Ten Days in the Valley, toplining foreign fave Kyra Sedgwick, all got the ax. Also, like several of its competitors, ABC is holding in reserve several contenders for midseason launch—The Fix and Grand Hotel, among them—a move that makes it  difficult for foreign buyers to gauge what they should opt for in their long-term deals with the company, and for other clients who might want to purchase something on the open market.

Janice Marinelli, president of global content sales, direct-to-consumer and international at Disney, emceed the event onstage in the stead of Kevin Mayer, chairman of direct-to-consumer and international, who was unable to attend. She  emphasized the company’s commitment to delivering what she called “the best multiplatform content in the world to everyone in the world.”

In terms of the recently revamped strategic direction the company is taking, Marinelli pointed to three key goals: one, to deliver compelling, personalized content experiences, across every platform; two, to take advantage of everything technology has to offer; and three, to brand and package that content to the highest standards.

During the rundown of the fall schedule, it became clear that comedies will play an outsize role on several evenings but, at least for the moment, there is an intact Thursday of sudsy dramas from Shondaland, including the recently launched firefighters’ spin-off, Station 19. (The Rookie, an already buzzy hour cop show slotted on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.,  with Castle alum Nathan Fillion, is being licensed by indie distributor eOne.)

Unlike in previous editions of the Disney International Upfront event, several of the division chieftains did not attend or at least did not take the stage to deliver remarks, including ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey and the various heads of the film units. Following her remarks setting out the vision of the company under the latest reorganization Chairman and CEO Bob Iger and his team have instituted, Marinelli turned the microphone over to Cathleen Taff, executive VP of theatrical distribution, franchise management and business and audience insights, and then to Patrick Moran, the president of ABC Studios.

For her part, Taff touted the financial milestones that a plethora of Disney-owned movies have hit in recent years, including a record $7 billion in box office revenues in 2016 and beyond. She listed a number of the upcoming tentpoles soon to be released under the Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Disney labels, including Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Incredibles 2, Mary Poppins Returns and Frozen 2. Across all our brands, she said, the company is committed “to high-quality content that can resonate around the world.”

Doing the honors for ABC Studios, Moran put the accent on what makes Disney programming distinctive for the global market. In his view, it is “quality production values, A-plus storytelling and expanded reach.” He also mentioned that several of the division’s upcoming series are international co-productions, including Take Two, on which German-based Tandem is a partner.

Once the executives had finished their remarks, stars and producers of the company’s new series were revealed inside booths arrayed along the periphery of the venue. They included the casts of ABC’s Station 19, Grand Hotel, The Fix, The Kids are Alright, Take Two and black-ish as well as those from Freeform’s Siren, Runaways, Cloak & Dagger and Grown-ish.

Judging from informal comments from a variety of attendees, there was little not to like about the more streamlined approach to the presentation and the availability of new talent to glad-hand (in addition to the plentiful food and drink).

“I can’t say I’ve seen anything that suggests it’s a must-have show as yet, but things have to settle a bit in our minds before we can say anything conclusive,” said one European-based buyer. “The week is just getting underway. There’s a lot to take in.”

For more on the U.S. network and studio lineups, visit World Screen’s Fall Season Grid here.