An extremely profitable union has come to an end: The Wrap is reporting that Disney will not renew its first-look deal with mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer when it expires at the end of the year. Bruckheimer and Disney have made an ungodly amount of money together, but a few of Bruckheimer's most recent films have underperformed, with the most notable being July's THE LONE RANGER.
However, THE LONE RANGER is not the reason why the two have decided to split, according to a statement from the studio:
“Disney will continue to focus on its branded properties including Disney, Pixar, Marvel and now Lucasfilm while Bruckheimer is looking to produce more mature films outside the scope of the Disney brand.”
But it's not as if Jerry Bruckheimer has been banished by the studio, and Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn says he is looking forward to working with the producer again in the future
“Jerry is one of the most respected and prolific producers working in the motion picture industry, and we have had an incredibly successful collaboration over the past two decades and he is a friend to many of us here at Disney. We will continue to work together in the future, and we look forward to seeing more of the films that have made Jerry Bruckheimer a Hollywood legend.”
Jerry Bruckheimer also released a statement and it's the typical "thanks for everything" that normally comes with news like this:
"I am very appreciative of the wonderful collaboration and support I have had at The Walt Disney Company for over twenty years and the twenty-seven movies we have made together. The good news is we will continue working together on Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure and other projects we have developed together at the studio. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with these amazing people at The Walt Disney Studios, many of whom have become my good friends. As we continue to make adventure films, we look forward to returning to films like Black Hawk Down, Enemy of the State, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Rock.”
In a different statement to THR, Bruckheimer says the split has nothing to do with THE LONE RANGER:
"We have a full body of work with them. It's not about 'Lone Ranger'. It's more about the types of movies Disney is making, and the types of movies we want to make, in addition to 'Pirates'…. It's time for us to tackle all kinds of movies, not just Disney movies. We're still working on Pirates and hopefully National Treasure, and we still have development at Disney."
Jerry Bruckheimer also says he wants to re-launch Touchstone Pictures (home to some of his more adult films like THE ROCK and CON AIR), but apparently Disney wasn't too keen on the idea.
The split is probably best for both sides and it sounds like there's no ill will towards each other, however who knows what is actually being said behind closed doors. Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer might say THE LONE RANGER played no part in the decision to end their working relationship, but I find that very hard to believe. Jerry Bruckheimer probably does want to move back to more adult themed films and Disney obviously loves its brands, but I'm sure when there was a meeting about Bruckheimer's future with the studio, THE LONE RANGER and its failures must have been brought up at least once.
So it's an end of an era for Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. Maybe Bruckheimer will agree to another first-look deal with a different studio, but for now he's going to have to find a new home for his movies.