Disney Shuts Down Fox's MOUSE GUARD Two Weeks Before it Starts Shooting

Just two weeks before production was set to begin on Fox’s adaptation of David Petersen's two-time Eisner winning comics and a graphic novel Mouse Guard, Disney shuts it down. As of right now, the movie is no longer happening at Disney.

Mouse Guard has been described as Game of Thrones for mice. “Set in a human-free, medieval world, the comic follows the so-called ‘Mouse Guard,’ a group of mice who have sworn to protect their brethren from predators and other threats. WETA was providing the digital effects.”

The film had an impressive cast lined up that included Andy Serkis, Idris Elba, Samson Kayo and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Serkis was going to play the villain Midnight, “a former Guard blacksmith who betrayed the order; Elba was set to take on the role of Celanawe, a former hero who was considered dead but is found; Brodie-Sangster was tapped to play Lieam, a young newbie to the Guard and Kayo was slated for Saxson, a rogue with a difficult temper.” Jack Whitehall was in talks for the role of Kenzie, “a calm staff-wielder who often partners with Saxson.”

While the project has been scrapped by Disney, producers Matt Reeves, Ross Ritchie and Stephen Christy, are being allowed to shop it to other studios and according to THR, several studios are already interested. So, the movie will still probably get made but under a new studio.

So why did Disney pass on it? The report sites various reasons. One source said that the motion capture digital effects used to bring animals to life, “veered too close to Disney's homegrown CGI-made fare such as The Lion King and The Jungle Book.” Another reason given was because “Disney does not want Fox in the big-budget game, which Mouse Guard, with a budget of  $170 million, found itself in.” Apparently they want Fox to “focus on lower-cost family movies, as well as PG-13 and R-rated fare.” I guess Avatar is the exception? Finally, one insider said that “Disney simply balked at the movie itself, believing it too similar to its other fare, and at the film’s high price point.”

Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) was attached to direct the film.

What do you all think about Disney shutting this film project down? I imagine this is just the first of many to come.