20th Century Studios President Gives Updates on Sequels to “Avatar,” “Free Guy,” “Death on the Nile” and “Planet of the Apes”

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)

(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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