Disney Sinks 'Yellow Submarine' Remake
by Elizabeth Sexton
According to Walt Disney, and a Hollywood Reporter exclusive, we do not all live in a Yellow Submarine.
The high-profile remake and pet project of “Mars Needs Moms” producer Robert Zemeckis has been tossed by The Walt Disney Co.
After a disastrous opening for the $150 million-budgeted “Mars Needs Moms” - the film opened at a mere $6.9 million – sources say Zemeckis’ plans don’t stand a chance. Not to mention it’s been a challenge to bring key groups on board, in the first place.
On top of budget issues, Zemeckis constantly had to push back a key presentation as Beatles heirs kept delaying the meeting.
Zemeckis, director of “Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump” and “Cast Away” is now free to pitch the project elsewhere.
The concept, if reconceived, will include 16 Beatles songs and “employ cutting-edge-motion-capture technology” similar to Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol” and “Mars Needs Moms.”
The Hollywood Reporter says the aesthetics in the movies and box-office failures have raised concerns within Disney. Zemeckis' human characters are often depicted as “creepy” looking, it reports.
Now, with the poor opening of “Mars Needs Moms,” Zemeckis’ Sub hopes are sunk.
Zemeckis is reportedly in Montana re-grouping and eyeing a live-action project to direct.