We’ve reached the end of the week, folks, and it’s been a relatively quiet one for Disney, all things considered.
The Little Mermaid landed its opening weekend projections, former NBA star Dwyane Wade came to Disney’s defense against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Star Wars’ May the Fourth came and went, and the late great Carrie Fisher earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. How’s that for a recap?
But as they say, the news never sleeps. Today we bring to you a nice heaping helping of good news for the 14th season of Doctor Who (finally), a sprinkle of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 curiosity (ooo), and a good old slap in the face to Florida Man Ron DeSantis (yes!). What more could you ask for? Let’s get into it.
Doctor Who lands a major Disney veteran as the newest season 14 cast member
You might be wondering why the cult-classic British series Doctor Who is being mentioned in a news roundup about Disney, and we don’t blame you. In case you hadn’t heard, BBC and Disney have partnered to bring audiences the next era of the British series to an even wider audience (not that it needed it). In addition to welcoming Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th incarnation of the Doctor and confirming the 14th season will be available to stream on Disney Plus, the show will also sport an even bigger budget thanks to Mickey and co. And that’s not even the best part.
The BBC announced that Disney veteran Jonathan Groff will be joining the cast. As of now, his role is unknown, but the man has a filmography as diverse as Gatwa’s wardrobe, so we have faith he’ll pull off whatever role he’s in.
Disney Plus’ history with inconsistent release dates leaves the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the dark
I know what you’re thinking. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 only just released in theaters so why are we bringing up its Disney Plus release date now? Well, when you think about the fact that the new streaming standard entails a post-theatrical release window of 45 days, but only one out of the last six Marvel movies have actually followed through on that, then it’s never too early to start worrying.
For context, here is how long it took every Phase Four and Five movies to release on Disney Plus. As you can see, nothing is consistent, and Quantumania’s exorbitantly long delay follows a pattern Thor: Love & Thunder began in 2022.
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: 70 days
- Eternals: 68 days
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: 47 days
- Thor: Love & Thunder: 62 days
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: 82 days
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: 89 days
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: ?
You know DeSantis is in the wrong when his bigotry reaches the other side of the world
It’s sad, but at this point, Ron DeSantis has become the butt of the joke and essentially synonymous with Disney (a twisted joke on him if there ever was one). Over in Australia, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews called DeSantis out during a parliament meeting about how not to be a bigot (although he didn’t actually use the word bigot, even though we know he wanted to). Andrews addressed a recent hate speech incident in a Melbourne suburb wherein a drag story time event was met with death threats from anti-trans protestors. Making sure not to mince his words, Andrews made clear that hate groups and hate speech are not tolerated in Victoria. If you want to engage in such behavior, he says go to Florida (sorry, Florida).
“And my message to those people is very clear. If you want to behave like the worst elements of the Floridian Republican party, well get to Florida. Head over there, where your hateful views might be worth something. They’re worth nothing here. We won’t stand for this ugly behavior. It’s appalling. And again, I’d make the point, it’s not about free speech. This is hate speech, plain and simple.”
Please join us in a collective sigh knowing that Florida Man Ron DeSantis has infected not only Disney’s name but the U.S. too. And on that lovely note, we part ways. See you back here in a couple of days for a fresh batch of the latest news.