Jerry Bruckheimer is leaving Disney

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Walt Disney Studios has announced plans to end its partnership with the U.S. film and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer next year.

Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter he is leaving the studio when his contract expires because he wants to make movies Disney isn't interested in financing. He insisted he is not severing ties with the studio because their summer collaboration "The Lone Ranger" was a box-office flop.

"It's time for us to tackle all kinds of movies, not just Disney movies," Bruckheimer told the entertainment newspaper.

"We're still working on 'Pirates' and hopefully 'National Treasure,' and we still have development at Disney," he said. "We have a full body of work with them. It's not about 'Lone Ranger.' It's more about the types of movies Disney is making, and the types of movies we want to make, in addition to 'Pirates.' We had discussions to try to revitalize Touchstone, but they don't want to do it."

"This is about a long-term relationship with lots of pluses and minuses," Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn told The Hollywood Reporter.

"'The Lone Ranger' certainly didn't help things, but we all have our wins and our losses, and this is an overall thing related to the company's supply of projects from all these other places," Horn said. "Films that fall into that [Touchstone] wheelhouse are supplied by DreamWorks."