Disney Shockingly Kills ‘Mouse Guard’ Film 2 Weeks Before Production As It Evaluates The Newly-Acquired Fox Slate

We are a month into the new era of Disney in control of Fox. And while we knew that decisions would be coming in the weeks after the finalization, it appears that the Mouse House is acting quickly with some projects that seemed “safe” from any of the shakeups, including the upcoming big-budget, motion-capture epic “Mouse Guard.”

It was just a few weeks ago that we reported that the cast for “Mouse Guard” was taking shape, with some heavy hitters like Andy Serkis and Idris Elba signing on to portray Medieval mice in the fantasy film. However, according to THR, Disney has decided to halt production on the film, just two weeks before it was set to begin filming.

READ MORE: Idris Elba & Sonoya Mizuno Sign On As Leads In Mo-Cap Fantasy Film ‘Mouse Guard’

Of course, Disney didn’t comment on the move, and we have yet to hear anything from those involved in the cast and crew, but the report says that there are a couple of reasons that the studio could have decided to cancel the film so close to production. Obviously, the film is one of many that are being evaluated in light of the recent merger, but was widely assumed to be safe, considering Fox had given the film the green light to begin before the deal was done.

However, it appears that Disney could have seen the project as too similar to its recent motion-capture, CGI films like “The Lion King” and “The Jungle Book,” leading the company to decide that it didn’t want to proceed with “Mouse Guard.” Another rumored reason is that Disney may be wanting to limit the films that come from its newly-acquired Fox division, leaving the smaller studio to focus on mid-budget and lower films. “Mouse Guard” was rumored to have a budget near $170 million.

Either way, this is a blow to the cast and crew that was mere days away from beginning work on the project. The report says that Disney is allowing producers Matt Reeves, Ross Ritchie and Stephen Christy the opportunity to shop the film around to other studios, so there’s still a chance that “Mouse Guard” can still be made. It’s just a bit of a longshot, right now.

READ MORE: Taika Waititi Reunites With His ‘Green Lantern’ Co-Star Ryan Reynolds For New Action-Comedy, ‘Free Guy’

The film already had a cast ready to go, which included Andy Serkis, Idris Elba, Samson Kayo, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Jack Whitehall, and Sonoya Mizuno. “Maze Runner” helmer Wes Ball was on board to direct the feature.

With “Mouse Guard” surprisingly killed at Disney, that puts other “safe” films, “Free Guy” (starring Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi) and “Death on the Nile” (the star-studded “Murder on the Orient Express” follow-up), on high alert. We’ll keep an eye out for news about those films in the days to come.