Disney+ Drops Fan-Favorite Movie Despite Plans for New Sequel
Disney+ has surprisingly dropped a fan-favorite movie despite plans for a new sequel in this franchise! Before Disney+ launched, former CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney had plans for new takes on the Home Alone, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Night at the Museum franchises for the then new streaming service. With each of these plans in place, a good way for fans to get re-acquainted with each new entry would be to stream any of the other classics with the Disney+ service, but unfortunately fans hoping to check out the second Night at the Museum film will need to go elsewhere.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian has been removed from the Disney+ streaming service (in the United States) as of October, and while the film is technically part of the 20th Century Studios brand, this removal is likely due to a contract signed by 20th Century Fox before it was acquired by Disney. It's unclear as to how long the film will not be available on the service, nor it's potential return date unfortunately. This removal from the service comes at an unfortunate time, however, as Night at the Museum reportedly has a new animated take on the franchise currently in the works for a release on the streaming service as well.
Night at the Museum has spawned a successful three film franchise originally based off of Milan Trenc's original children's book. Director behind the trilogy, Shawn Levy, is behind the production of the next entry of the franchise that is reportedly titled Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. Levy and the 21 Laps Entertainment production company are continuing the franchise through CG animation, and the new film will reportedly following the son of Ben Stiller's Larry Daley as he attempts to fill in the shoes of his father as the museum's night watchman.
As for how this new film is shaping up, Levy offered the following update to Collider, "It is in production. Production and animation is a very different process. I am very actively in hands-on, producing that. I've seen two of the three acts in animation form. It is somehow its own thing, but very, very loyal to the legacy of those characters in that title. So happening, and will be on Disney+ next year in 2022."
What do you think of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian no longer being available to stream with Disney+? Will you be missing it? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!