By Lindsey Bahr
Moana and Maui are sailing back to the big screen, very quickly. "Moana 2" is coming to theaters in November, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Wednesday.
Originally planned as a television series, the movie finds Moana journeying on a dangerous mission to the far seas of Oceania after getting a call from her ancestors. It is, the company said, "an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced."
"Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise and we can't wait to give you more of Moana and Maui," Iger said in a statement. The film will open in theaters on Nov. 27.
"Moana 2" was directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and will feature music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Mark Mancina, and Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa'i. No details were given about the voice actors.
The first film made over $680 million at the global box office and has been streamed for over 1 billion hours on Disney+. Dwayne Johnson is also at work on a live-action "Moana" for the company.
Lindsey Bahr is an AP film writer
Ubisoft shares jump following reports of Tencent, Guillemot family considering buyout
Shares of Ubisoft jumped more than 30% Friday, following reports that Tencent and the Guillemot family are considering a buyout of the video game maker.
Bloomberg news reported that Tencent and Guillemot family — minority stakeholders in Ubisoft — have been discussing ways to stabilize the company after it lost more than half its market value this year. Shares surged 33.5% to about $15.57 Friday, according to FactSet.
Ubisoft declined to comment. Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
France-based Ubisoft is the publisher behind the well-known franchise "Assassin's Creed." Ubisoft's shares fell last month to their lowest point in more than a decade after its latest title "Star Wars Outlaws" underperformed and the company announced that it would delay the latest "Assassin's Creed" game.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft's CEO, said in a statement last week that the company's "second quarter performance fell short of our expectations."
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