The Pirates of the Caribbean films have gradually dropped in quality with each new installment. But it really wouldn’t have its large following without the stumbling rum thirsty pirate Jack Sparrow. Played by Johnny Depp, the character has been the face of the franchise since the very beginning. However, Disney is looking to reboot the franchise, but without its franchise captain at the helm.

This could be disappointing to some, but the decision will help Disney save a significant amount of money. Casting Depp in these films require the studio to go deep into their pockets. More on the report, below.

Angelina Jolie made an appearance today at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA at the live-action panel for the exclusive first look from her upcoming film, Disney’s Maleficent. A description of the footage is located at the end of this post.

Jolie wowed the crowd at D23, as they erupted upon her entrance, when she joined Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, on stage. Bailey said that the filmmakers only wanted one name for this role, as they felt Jolie would be a perfect fit. Yes, she is ideal, oozing chills and vivacity in the role. Bailey also showcased some artwork of the castle and woods.

Audiences may find themselves “rooting for the other side,” Bailey indicated, in that the story from Maleficent’s perspective will give new insight into the popular Disney villain.

As a longtime fan of the original 1982 Tron, I was extremely excited to welcome a return to the Tron universe with Disney’s Tron Legacy panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Moderator Patton Oswalt greeted attendees with a rousing “Welcome, Furries!” and reminded us that this is the third year Tron Legacy has been at Comic-Con, and joked that the plan is to show Tron Legacy in 5 minute increments at Comic-Con for the next 25 years. The footage started with a mini-documentary highlighting the cultural impact of Tron over the course of the last 27 years (including, incredulously, Tron on ice!).

Patton then introduced the panel: Director Joe Kosinski, producer Sean Bailey, original Tron creator Steven Lisberger, and stars Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and original Tron stars Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges. Kosinski talked about his personal nostalgia with the original film, and the daunting challenge of producing a sequel.

The Walt Disney Company is preparing to reinvent one of their own titles. They’ve hired Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey to develop a new version on 1979’s The Black Hole. Travis Beacham will handle the script writing duties. Beacham doesn’t have a ton of experience, but he was one of the writers on Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans.

The original Black Hole featured many big names for the time including Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, and Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens in voice acting roles. It told the story of a space fleet that discovers a lost ship floating near a black hole (think Event Horizon, but with Disney!). On the ship, they find a scientist who has been missing for twenty years commanding a crew of faceless droids that turn out to be the former crew who tried to form a mutiny. They have received a procedure similar to what we know as a lobotomy in order to ensure their faithful service. The crew attempts to bring the missing team home, but the scientist has no plans to leave or let his servants leave as he plans to enter the black hole and explore where none have explored before.