It’s always a big news day for Disney, but this one just happens to be bubbling over.
Currently, the House of Mouse (and Marvel) is ardently ignoring the Jonathan Majors-sized elephant in the room while continuing to promote the digital release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which just so happens to be as absent from Disney Plus, as is the company’s statement on Majors. That alone would typically be enough news for one day, but not today.
Disney underwent its second round of layoffs this morning, resulting in thousands of employees losing their jobs. The cost-saving strategy was foreshadowed in February, but now that it’s finally here, the pill is a tough one to swallow.
Meanwhile — in case all that wasn’t enough — the live-action Lilo & Stitch has once again (yes, really) been hit with racist backlash so damning it resulted in the character of David Kawena being recast with another actor. As we said, it is a big news day. So, let’s dive in.
Quantumania’s Disney Plus delay intensifies with every passing day as 4,000 employees are let go in company-wide layoffs
Past precedent has shown us that movies tend to release on streaming around 45 days after their theatrical release. By the end of this week, 70 days will have passed since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premiered on Feb. 17. It’s hard not to notice that the delay has nothing to do with a national holiday — as it did with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — and everything to do with Jonathan Majors’ looming domestic violence allegations.
Still, the delay is only half as devastating as the news thousands of Disney employees received today amidst the company’s second round of layoffs. To date, 4,000 employees have been let go, with an additional 3,000 expected to exit by the end of the summer. CEO Bob Iger outlined the layoffs as a means to reduce the company’s spending by $5.5 billion. (Which, if we’re lucky, just might curb the company’s mounting VFX problem).
Lilo & Stitch actor fired from the project after his history with racial slurs comes to light
After already battling multiple accusations of colorism, the live-action Lilo & Stitch was delivered yet another setback after Disney discovered actor Kahiau Machado’s history of using racial slurs on social media. Machado was previously poised to play David Kawena, whose character is romantically linked with Lilo’s sister Nani, played by actress Sydney Elizabeth Agudong. Now, actor Kaipot Dudoit has been tapped to play Kawena.
Considering the live-action movie has been dinged three times in a row for whitewashing its cast, casting the wrong Cobra Bubbles, and hiring an actor who participated in racist remarks, it goes without saying that this live-action adaptation is indeed climbing an uphill battle already laden with obstacles.
Disney’s potentially detrimental investment in Jonathan Majors goes beyond just the MCU
Disney has a lot riding on Jonathan Majors. Not just because the 33-year-old actor is the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s big bad, Kang the Conqueror. Not just because he was offered a $20 million deal to headline Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Not just because he’s already attached to several ready-to-go projects such as Disney Plus’ second season of Loki, which has already been filmed.
No, the reason Disney’s association with Majors goes beyond the MCU is that the company’s subsidiary Searchlight Pictures has already secured the distribution rights to Magazine Dreams, a drama starring Majors that is set to release on Dec. 8, just in time for his “tour-de-force performance” to be considered for an Oscar. No matter what happens between now and then, his controversy is almost guaranteed to weigh down his performance, no matter how good it is, which means Disney’s investment in the actor is far more complicated than just recasting a new Kang to battle the Avengers.
Told you it was a big news day. Be on the lookout for more tomorrow. Wherever there’s tea, we’re here to spill it.
