Obi-Wan Kenobi, ‘Secret Invasion’ series lead slate of 50+ (!) new Disney+ originals
Disney made some major “Star Wars,†Marvel and Pixar announcements at its investor day on Thursday. Here is everything you need to know.
More than fifty new Disney+ originals are headed your way in the next few years.
During Walt Disney Co.’s Investor Day presentation on Thursday, the company announced that 10 new Marvel series; 10 new Star Wars series; and 15 new Disney live-action, Disney animation and Pixar series will premiere on the streamer in the next few years. Additionally, 15 Disney+ original films from Disney (live-action and animation) and Pixar are slated to debut during that time period. Several new National Geographic shows exclusive to the platform were announced as well.
Disney+ launched with “The Mandalorian,†the first live-action series set in the “Star Wars†universe. Other previously announced original “Star Wars†series set for the streamer include a show focused on the popular Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, as well as one about Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, a character introduced in “Rogue One.â€
Marvel Cinematic Universe shows that were previously announced include the upcoming “WandaVision,†“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,†“Loki†and “Hawkeye.â€
The live-action slate for Disney+ includes “Hocus Pocus 2,†a retelling of “Pinocchio,†“Sister Act 3†and “Disenchanted,†a sequel to “Enchanted†starring Amy Adams. Walt Disney Animation also will be premiering Disney+ original series such as “Tiana,†based on the character from “The Princess and the Frog,†as well as “Moana, the Series.†Among Pixar’s offerings is “Win or Lose,†its first long-form animated series.
“Mandalorian†fans will be excited to learn that the show’s third season is set to premiere Dec. 25, 2021. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, who kicked off her portion of the presentation touting “The Mandalorian’s†success so far, also announced that executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are working on two new series: “The Rangers of the New Republic†and “Ahsoka.†Both series will be set during the timeline of “The Mandalorian.â€
Kennedy also shared that production has begun on the “Rogue One†spinoff series “Andor,†which stars Stellan Skarsgard, Adria Arjona and Fiona Shaw alongside Luna. The series is expected to launch in 2022.
The event series “Kenobi,†set 10 years after the events of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,†will see McGregor return as the iconic Jedi Master. But perhaps the biggest surprise is that Hayden Christensen is returning as Darth Vader. The series will be directed by “The Mandalorian†alum Deborah Chow.
Kennedy also announced the animated “The Bad Batch,†a “Star Wars: The Clone Wars†spinoff following characters introduced during the final season of the series, as well as “Star Wars Visions,†a collection of 10 anime shorts.
Additional “Star Wars†shows on the way include “Lando,†from filmmaker Justin Simien, and “The Acolyte†from Leslye Headland. Kennedy also announced that Lucasfilm animation and ILM will collaborate on a show about droids.
In “Star Wars†feature news, Kennedy announced that “Wonder Woman†director Patty Jenkins has been tapped to direct “The Rogue Squadron,†which is expected to be released Dec. 25, 2023. A film from Taika Waititi is also on the way.
Additional Lucasfilm projects include a “Willow†series, which will see Warwick Davis return to the iconic role, set for a 2022 launch. The pilot will be directed by Jon M. Chu. An “Indiana Jones†series and an adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s “Children of Blood and Bone†also are on the way.
The creative portion of the presentation closed out with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discussing the massive upcoming MCU slate.
Set to premiere Jan. 15 is “WandaVision,†the MCU’s first TV series, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. (Events from this series will tie in directly with the upcoming film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,†which is set to hit theaters March 25, 2022.)
Described as a Marvel Studios movie played out over six episodes is “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,†with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. It’s scheduled to hit Disney+ on March 19.
“Loki,†a crime thriller centering Tom Hiddleston’s titular God of Mischief, also features Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant. The series will hit the streamer some time in May.
The animated “What If…?†— which reimagines familiar events with various MCU heroes — is expected to hit the platform during the summer.
The much-anticipated launch of “Ms. Marvel†also will come later in 2021. The series will star Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American teen who suddenly acquires superpowers. The series will be directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Feige confirmed that “Hawkeye,†expected to launch sometime in late 2021, will star Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, a character in the comics who has also used the code name Hawkeye. She joins the MCU’s original Hawkeye, Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner.
Tatiana Maslany was confirmed as the star of “She-Hulk,†a series that will follow Jennifer Walters, who, much like her cousin Bruce Banner, transforms into a powerful green giant. Walters is a lawyer who specializes in cases that involve superhumans. The series will feature Mark Ruffalo as Banner/Hulk and Tim Roth as the Abomination.
“Moon Knight,†a series following a vigilante with dissociative identity disorder that was announced last year, is also on the way.
Among the titles announced for the first time on Thursday is “Secret Invasion,†based on a fan-favorite comic book arc that reveals how a sect of Skrulls have infiltrated Earth. The series will star “Captain Marvel’s†Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos.
Another new title is “Ironheart,†which will star Dominique Thorne as the young genius inventor Riri Williams. “Armor Wars,†which will see Don Cheadle reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine, involves Tony Stark’s tech falling into the wrong hands.
A “Guardians of the Galaxy†holiday special from writer-director James Gunn has been announced for 2022, as well as “I Am Groot,†a series of shorts featuring the tree-like character.
Feige also discussed MCU’s feature slate, which includes “Black Widow†(May 7, 2021), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings†(July 9, 2021), “Eternals†(Nov. 5, 2021), “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness†(March 25, 2022), “Thor: Love and Thunder†(May 6, 2022), “Black Panther 2†(July 8, 2022), “Blade,†“Captain Marvel 2†(Nov. 11, 2022), “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,†“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3†(2023) and “Fantastic Four.â€
“Black Panther 2,†which will be written by Ryan Coogler, will explore Wakanda and the characters introduced in the first film. The late Chadwick Boseman’s character, T’Challa, will not be recast.
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