After failing to meet box office expectations with his 2023 reimagining of Disney’s “Haunted Mansion,” it seems things are starting to sour between writer/director Justin Simien and the House of Mouse. The filmmaker was set to helm a series for Disney+ centered around a young version of “Star Wars” favorite Lando Calrissian played by Donald Glover, but in a recent interview with Collider , Simien shared how despite a plethora of materials being produced, the studio chose to can the project.
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“It was pretty developed,” Simien said. “Yeah, there was a Bible, there was concept art, there were scripts, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Despite the emotional toll of dropping the project, Simien told Collider that processing the loss and recognizing what he gained in the process allowed him to move forward with grace.
“For me, it has to be done pretty straight on like, ‘I am in grief. I do not feel good.’ I have to let myself feel those feelings,” said Simien. “There’s so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can’t obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there’s so much more that I got, as a maker, and that’s mine. Sorry, it’s too late, you can’t take that part back.”
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Though Simien chooses to keep his head held high, he did share that he felt Disney could have handled the situation more courteously. Reflecting on when he found out “Lando” had fallen apart, he said, “It became clear. They probably won’t want me to say this, but I knew it was official when I read it in the trades. But the writing was super on the wall.”
Tragic as the scenario is, it hasn’t swayed Simien from wanting to work with big IP. In fact, his next project involves working with a “Star Wars” competitor, “Star Trek.” Last week, it was announced Simien will be collaborating with Alex Kurtzman and Tawny Newsome on the first ever “Star Trek” live-action comedy series. “With ‘Star Trek,’ and anything that’s IP that I don’t have direct control over, I just try to remind myself that it really is about the journey,” Simien said to Collider. “If that’s all it ever is, wow, that’s still a childhood dream. I literally grew up watching that show and wishing I could go to space. I’m living that childhood dream right now.”
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