After what was a very long and very lucrative business relationship– Disney and Bruckheimer decide to go their own separate ways in 2014. The Walt Disney
Co and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are parting ways.
In an official statement from Disney, the studio has announced that it and Bruckheimer have decided not to renew their current deal which gives Disney first-look rights to the producer’s films.
The pair will continue working together on various projects, including a fifth installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise due for release in 2016.
The statement suggests another “National Treasure” film might eventually be in the works, while Bruckheimer himself is: “looking to produce more mature films outside the scope of the Disney brand.”
The deal, which began in the 1990s, has yielded over two dozen films including major hits like “Crimson Tide,” “Dangerous Minds,” “The Rock,” “Con Air,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Remember the Titans,” “Armageddon,” “Enemy of the State,” “Pearl Harbor,” “National Treasure,” “Deja Vu,” “G-Force” and the four “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. Only the odd flop like “Bad Company,” “Kangaroo Jack” and “King Arthur” broke a near perfect track from 1995 to 2007.
In recent years though, Bruckheimer’s films are no longer the guaranteed hit maker they once were, while the budgets for his films have only escalated. Disappointments like “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and more recently “The Lone Ranger” have taken their toll.
Disney is also continuing to move away from non-Disney property related live-action films. Its ownership of Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar have given it several guaranteed box-office revenue generators every year, so the safety net of the Bruckheimer deal is no longer required.
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