Could Aerosmith be waiting for the Hammer To Fall on them at Hollywood Studios, and will it be a case of Another One Bites The Dust if the band are evicted from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster?
Well the latest rumour is that The Show Must Go On with Queen replacing Aerosmith within the ride which is currently closed for a lengthy refurbishment, so read on for the full story! Don't Stop Me Now!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios closed on Tuesday, February 21 for a lengthy refurbishment.
Walt Disney World have not given a date for when the coaster will reopen other than a timeline of Summer 2023.
All official indications are that we should not expected any changes to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ride experience, with the refurbishment concentrating on the launch system and general maintenance.
But, considering the long time rumour that Aerosmith will be replaced within the ride, it's no surprise that the rumours have surfaced again, although there is nothing to suggest that a retheme of the ride is going to happen, until now...
While little detail is know of the actual refurbishment, cast members in Hollywood Studios say that they have been told the ride will be closed for between four to six months.
Recently filed permits do however appear to put a timeframe on the refurbishment, and the scope of the work.
The first permit is from Maddox Electric, who listed the work on the coaster as general electrical work, but the interesting thing about the permit is that Maddox overrode the standard one-year expiration date and said that the work needs to be completed by September 14, 2023.
The second permit is from a company called Adena and listed the work as general construction.
Interestingly, Adena are known for their work on rollercoaster, and have been contracted by Disney in the past, and have worked on Slinky Dog Dash, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and TRON Lightcycle Run.
Their involvement in the project likely suggests that track repairs and possibly some track replacement could be happening.
Again, the permit from Adena has had the one-year expiration date overridden for September like Maddox Electic's permit.
Ok so that's the details on the work that we know about, but what about a re-theme? Read on!
We do know Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is set to reopen at some point this summer, and with the extended refurbishment currently happening, it has fans speculating further about whether the classic Aerosmith theme will be replaced with a new one.
While the timescale seems unlikely, if Disney simply remove the pre-show, they could quickly change the signage, and the soundtrack on the ride, so technically it is possible.
Another factor is the IP contract betwen Disney and AeroSmith, it's believed that the original contract was inked in 1998/1999 and renewed in 2008/2009, so we presume the contract is not be up for renewal until 2028 at the earliest, meaning that an overhaul until then is unlikely but again, not impossible.
The main reason Disney may have to remove the band, is that serious sexual misconduct allegations have been made against Steven Tyler, lead singer with Aerosmith, and we assume that if the allegations are proven then Disney will not want Aerosmith represented in their parks and an overhaul would be required.
But again the allegations are simply that at the moment, so again it appears that Aerosmith will be staying for now, but will they?
Here's the latest!
An original actor from the coaster’s preshow is claiming a retheme is on its way.
During a weekly live call-in show “Office Hours Live” hosted by Tim Heidecker, noted stand-up comedian and actor Ken Marino made a guest appearance to talk about his upcoming projects.
Durning the show, someone called in to ask about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, to which Marino responded “Now they’re changing the ride, it’s gonna be a Queen ride.”
Obviously Marino could be repeating speculation he has heard, especially as no official announcement have been made anywhere by Disney up until now.
We will continue to update you!
While we don't think the ride is currently closed for a retime, it could well be coming in the future, and changing the ride to music from Queen would make sense.
Only time will tell, all we do know is that Aerosmith can't go on forever and it is exciting to think that Queen will be the replacement!
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