Inside Move
Mouse gives 'Pearl' safe harbor
By week's end, the rumors that the Walt Disney Co. had secured outside financing for the Michael Bay-Jerry Bruckheimer project had evaporated. Spyglass Entertainment, the well-capitalized Disney-based company behind "The Sixth Sense," was all but out of the picture.
The scenario, ironically, is somewhat similar to that of "Armageddon" two years ago, when Disney decided to go it alone on the $100 million-plus project, then debated hedging its bets before returning to its original plan.
That film, also produced by Bruckheimer and directed by Bay, went over budget, but no one has ever confirmed by how much.
Since greenlighting "Pearl Harbor" at a budget of $130 million-$135 million in late January (Daily Variety, Jan. 27), Mouseketeers have strengthened their commitment to the epic.
So let it now be written: The Mouse House owns its pearl, for all territories around the world, and will proceed to finance the picture itself. If the studio considers participation by an outside party, it may not be until after production is well under way.
Still, one scenario is that Spyglass will handle some of the distribution of the film through its international output deals. But for now, the film lies securely in Disney hands -- and nobody, no matter how eager, can wrench it away.
Spyglass and Disney execs could not be reached for comment.
