"Original" attraction without it being a severe update to GMR makes absolutely zero sense to me in a park like the IP-heavyweight DHS. I wonder if Marni meant original as in "not a clone of RSR" like phase 3 was supposed to be?
Either way I don't see GMR closing until 2019 at the earliest. We still got some time with this attraction, a ton in fact... of course that doesn't stop some people over on some other MAGICAL parts of the internet to run around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Some of them seem to geniunely believe this, Tower and UoE are all being replaced by GotG rides. Chalk that one up to insane paranoia.
Out of all of those, only UoE is in a position where GotG replacement seems imminent.
ToT is beloved and DHS' masterpiece - it's also in a park with only 5 rides and about half the capacity of DCA. So I'd say it's pretty much safe since the GotG E-ticket will be greenlit long before late 2018/early 2o19 IMO.
Ellen is just not popular anymore. It has great capacity... but no one wants to ride it. It runs with empty cars all of the time... and the people who do ride are only using it as a place to nap, play Pokemon Go or use their phone. Few actually pay attention to the attraction anymore. While I'd much rather see a 15-minute Omnimover with colossal sets and updated material replace Ellen and maintain the edutainment aspect of Epcot, I recognize Epcot is in dire need of capacity to relieve Soarin', Test Track, and Frozen Ever After.
Ellen only gets maybe 1/3 of its actual hourly capacity. A GotG E-ticket with 2,000-2,500/hr capacity would definitely draw big crowds and ease wait times for Soarin' and Test Track. It also would draw more people than Ellen and if an edutainment aspect were included, it could actually engage audiences, too.
The part that should make most angry is that Inside Out is PERFECT for an Epcot edutainment E-ticket - unlike most IPs, it's relevant both to Imagination and the old WoL pavilion. Unlike Frozen and GotG, I don't think most would complain about IO getting a family dark ride and rebooted Cranium Command show somewhere in Future World since it's relevant.
Furthermore, IO actually made more money in theaters and on video than GotG did. Yet TDO wants GotG to replace Ellen over IO?? I'd rather see GotG, BH6, Wreck-it Ralph and Incredibles included in a superhero area as DHS' Phase 3.
GMR - I just don't see GotG replacing it. It's an odd fit and UoE/WoL is a relatively dead area of Epcot, while GMR still draws crowds looking for something to do after Toy Story/Star Tours/RnRC/ToT. GMR actually reaches a solid chunk of its capacity, still, while Ellen hardly gets 1/3.