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  1. #1
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    Disney+

    Time to start a Disney+ thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    I'm thinking this will all migrate to Disney+ next - Daredevil, Defenders, the whole lot (maybe - hopefully - NOT Danny Rand )


    Opinion
    THE DAREDEVIL-VERSE LOOKS TO BE THE UNFORTUNATE CASUALTY OF DISNEY’S LARGER STREAMING AMBITIONS
    Contributed by Trent Moore
    @trentlmoore
    Nov 30, 2018

    First, we said goodbye to Iron Fist. Then a few weeks later, Luke Cage left the mean streets of Harlem. Now, the OG Marvel Netflix series is officially gone, as Netflix has announced there are no plans for a fourth season of hallway fights on Daredevil. As Disney prepares to launch its own full-scale streaming service, Disney+, the studio’s six former flagship series on Netflix look to be caught in the middle — and they’re quickly dropping like flies.

    It’s easy to forget that just a few years ago, these were some of the buzziest comic projects to ever hit the small screen. Marvel and Netflix announced plans for the ambitious Marvel's The Defenders co-production in late 2013, with Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones on tap alongside the crossover miniseries. Five years later, and only The Punisher (a Daredevil spinoff) and Jessica Jones are still standing. Both of the remaining series have one season in the can and are still awaiting premiere dates, but judging by the massacre we’ve seen up to this point, those will likely be the final seasons we see of those heroes, too (if we see them at all).

    It’s a shame, as every one of these shows pushed the boundaries for what you could do in the comic book genre. Luke Cage told a grounded story about what it’s like to be black in America, from the perspective of a bulletproof hero; Daredevil was the story of a damaged man trying to reconcile his faith with his mission; and Iron Fist found its footing in its second season, and actually gifted Colleen Wing with the glowing punch of power. If Netflix eventually pulls the plug on Jessica Jones, too, it’ll take away one of the few headlining female heroes on both the big and small screens.

    Netflix and Marvel used these street-level heroes to tell smaller-scale stories that stood in stark contrast to the world-ending stakes we’d seen up to that point in films such as Iron Man and Thor. These folks weren’t fighting to save the world — they were fighting to save their neighborhoods. And those fights? They had consequences. Daredevil nursed bruises the morning after, while Jessica Jones often nursed a hangover.

    If the Avengers were saving the world, the Defenders were actually living in it. People noticed, too, as pretty much every series (the atrocious first season of Iron Fist notwithstanding) typically received solid reviews and critical acclaim.

    Despite all that, the landscape has changed considerably since Marvel and Netflix joined hands on stage to announce what was (at the time) one of the most ambitious undertakings in TV history.


    Credit: Netflix

    Disney has spent the past few years laying the foundation for its own streaming service that is set to leverage its massive content and IP library to directly compete with Netflix — which makes any deal between the two companies a whole lot more awkward than it was just a few years prior. Given the option of keeping everything in-house (most notably the profits), or sharing it with another service, the answer is obvious for Disney. It’s the reason all those superhero movies will be leaving Netflix for Disney+ once it launches, and why Disney is ramping up its own slate of original series — including everything from Star Wars to Pixar shows — to anchor Disney+.

    Disney+ will also feature more than a few Marvel Studios originals, which looks to be where things started to come apart for Daredevil and his fellow heroes.

    With Disney looking to differentiate its own streaming service from what has come before, the House of Mouse is going way bigger than street-level heroes. Shows based on film characters such as Loki, Scarlet Witch, and the Winter Soldier and Falcon are all in development, which makes it pretty clear the offerings of Disney+ are meant to be on the same level as the MCU flicks that dominate the box office. Strategically, it’s a smart move for Disney; Disney+ is supposed to be something bigger and better than what fans have seen before. It’s also great for fans, as they'll get bigger stories in a new way. That’s not a bad thing, inherently.

    But it also seems to be skipping past what has come before, including all the great things fans loved about the Daredevil-verse. Disney may want to go movie-level with its new shows, but that seems to be coming at the price of the street-level stories fans still want to see, too.



    Could Disney bring Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist over to Disney+ with new seasons and new shows or TV movies? It’s certainly possible, though early reports note it’s not all that likely — at least not now. Disney is, understandably, trying to look forward as it launches a new service. To complicate things, Netflix has the rights to those original seasons, so any potential revival on Disney+ would not feature the back catalog of episodes unless the two streaming services come to an agreement. And with Disney looking to consolidate everything under one roof, splitting focus would defeat the purpose. Everything we’ve seen implies Disney wants new shows, new projects, new buzz.

    Marvel is going big with Disney+, but perhaps at the cost of the small stories fans have fallen in love with.

    It doesn’t mean Marvel won’t still use those characters somewhere eventually, though. Who knows? There could be a new Marvel show at Disney+ down the line bringing some of those characters back, or even some super-cameos in the upcoming two seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to mention Marvel shows such as Runaways at Hulu (which Disney owns a stake in) and Cloak and Dagger at Freeform (which Disney owns) could also get in on the action.

    There are plenty of options, but at least for now, these characters and shows don’t seem to be a major piece of Disney’s puzzle.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #2
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    Nolte

    NOVEMBER 30, 2018 11:53am PT by Borys Kit
    'Star Wars': Nick Nolte Joins Pedro Pascal in 'The Mandalorian' (Exclusive)


    Michael Tran/FilmMagic
    Nick Nolte

    The 'Thin Red Line' actor joins a cast that also includes Gina Carano.
    Veteran actor Nick Nolte has joined the cast of The Mandalorian, the live-action Star Wars series that will launch on Disney’s streaming service, Disney+.

    The known cast includes Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano. The project, which is already in production, is heavy on visual effects, costumes and makeup, which will allow actors to come and go as well as, in some cases, be cast later in the production process than usual.

    Jon Favreau wrote the series and is executive producing along with Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Dave Filoni. Filoni will also direct episodes, as will Taika Waititi, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa and Deborah Chow.

    Character details are stuffed deep in the Sarlacc pit, but the company’s synopsis is thus: "After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic."

    Nolte’s many film credits include 48 Hrs., Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Mulholland Falls, The Thin Red Line, Warrior and Gangster Squad, while his TV credits include Rich Man, Poor Man; Luck and Gracepoint. He most recently starred on the short-lived Epix series Graves.

    Nolte is repped by CAA.
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  3. #3
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    2 year non-appearance clause

    Actually, two years isn't that long for Disney+, especially considering the rest of the line-up they've got queued. 2020 may be just about right.

    DECEMBER 12, 2018 1:45PM PT
    Don’t Expect ‘The Defenders’ on Disney Streaming Service Any Time Soon (EXCLUSIVE)
    By JOE OTTERSON
    Joe Otterson
    TV Reporter
    @JoeOtterson


    CREDIT: NETFLIX
    Fans of the Marvel Television series recently canceled by Netflix who hope to see the shows revived on Disney+ may be out of luck.

    Sources tell Variety that the deal for the original four Marvel shows includes a clause that prevents the characters from appearing in any non-Netflix series or film for at least two years after cancellation. That means that “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” and “Iron Fist” — which were all canceled this year at Netflix — could not come to the Disney streaming service until 2020 at the earliest.

    The chances of the shows returning either on their own or as a new installment of “The Defenders” is definitely a long shot, given the time frame. And even if they did go to Disney+ as soon as possible, they would be doing so without “Jessica Jones,” which is set to air its third season on Netflix sometime in 2019. If that show is canceled, which now seems likely but is by no means a guarantee, it could not go elsewhere until 2021.

    Marvel and Netflix declined to comment.

    Then there is “The Punisher,” a Marvel-Netflix show that was not part of the deal that spawned “The Defenders.” “The Punisher” stars Jon Bernthal, who first played the gun-toting vigilante in “Daredevil” Season 2 before the character was spun off into his own show. It was revealed on Wednesday that the second season of “The Punisher” will debut in January. Given that “The Punisher” did not fall under the original deal, the show’s fate beyond Season 2 is unknown at this time.

    Fans of the Marvel shows were shocked when Netflix began canceling them, particularly “Daredevil,” which drew strong critical praise for its third season. The streaming giant and the comic book-based entertainment studio had signed the deal to produce the four shows back in November 2013, with “Daredevil” being the first to premiere in April 2015.

    The deal called for the development of four original live-action series, which would then culminate in the miniseries event “The Defenders,” which ended up airing in 2017. However, Disney announced its plans for Disney+ in 2017, with the intent being to make it a hub for everything under the Disney umbrella, which includes Marvel.

    The soon-to-be-streaming giant has already lined up several original shows, including limited series centered on the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Loki, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon and the Winter Solider. Disney+ will also be home to the live-action “Star Wars” shows “The Mandalorian” starring Pedro Pascal and a Cassian Andor series, with Diego Luna reprising his role from “Rogue One.”

    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    I'm thinking this will all migrate to Disney+ next - Daredevil, Defenders, the whole lot (maybe - hopefully - NOT Danny Rand )
    Called that wrong...
    Gene Ching
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  4. #4
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    Would you consider reviving the Marvel shows that Netflix canceled?

    Disney's Top Dealmaker Kevin Mayer Talks Fox Plans and that New Streaming Service
    6:15 AM PST 12/18/2018 by Natalie Jarvey


    Photographed by Gizelle Hernandez

    The chairman of Walt Disney direct-to-consumer and international offers  an inside look at the $71.3 billion deal with the Murdochs, Hulu’s future and why launching Disney+ is "an excitement more than it is a nervousness."
    There was a moment at the end of 2017, while Disney was in the thick of negotiations for its industry-rattling deal to acquire most of the assets of 21st Century Fox, when then-chief strategy officer Kevin Mayer realized that he needed to get on a plane.

    Mayer and general counsel Alan Braverman had already commandeered a conference room on the Disney lot in Burbank as they tried to hammer out an agreement with Rupert Murdoch's dealmakers. But Mayer knew it was time to take the negotiations to a new level. "I told Bob [Iger], 'I'm flying to New York tonight and I'm not leaving until this deal's done,' " he reflects from his office in early December, almost exactly one year later. "For 10 days, it was late nights and early mornings and over the weekends. I missed the Star Wars premiere and so did my team."

    It paid off Dec. 14 when Disney announced that it would purchase Fox's film and TV studios, FX and National Geographic channels, regional sports networks (which Disney has since agreed to sell), Star India and stakes in Hulu and Sky (which Fox said in September it would sell to Comcast) in a $52.4 billion deal. Though the effects of the transaction immediately began to ripple through Hollywood, it would take another seven months and a counterbid by Comcast — boosting the deal's value to $71.3 billion — before Disney officially won Fox.

    While the transaction still awaits a handful of regulatory approvals abroad, Mayer's attention has already been diverted. In March, the onetime Clear Channel Interactive CEO was promoted to run Disney's newly created direct-to-consumer and international division that houses ESPN+, the upcoming Disney+ streaming service and a soon-to-be majority stake in Hulu, effectively putting him in charge of the 95-year-old company's future and fueling speculation that he could succeed Iger when the CEO steps down in 2021. Charting a new path for Disney and taking on Netflix won't be easy (or cheap) for Mayer, 56, and the team he's assembled, including former studio marketing chief Ricky Strauss, who has been tasked with building up a library of new original shows (The Mandalorian) and movies (Lady and the Tramp) to complement a library of Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel titles. But the $165 billion media conglomerate can't rely on movie ticket sales and TV subscribers forever. Notes Mayer, "Having a better relationship with our consumer puts us in control of our own destiny."

    Did you have a moment in negotiations when you thought the Fox deal wouldn't happen?

    It was always clear that the transaction made a great deal of strategic sense. With that in the back of your mind, you always think you can overcome most of the day-to-day travails of doing a deal like this. There were a couple of times where it looked like there was a problem. We overcame it.

    Talks paused early on over price point, correct?

    It was the biggest [deal] we've ever done. We did have a moment or two when there was a disconnect in terms of value, but that's to be expected. We didn't pay a price we thought was unfair at any point.

    How did Comcast's counterbid impact the ultimate deal?

    Well, it wasn't great. I'm not going to lie. We were concerned that since Fox is a public company and they have to entertain offers until a deal is voted on by shareholders, Comcast would come back in, and sure enough, they did. Although we paid a lot more than we had initially negotiated for, it was still a very good deal.

    What will the impact of the Disney-Fox deal be on the entertainment industry?

    We are going to offer really compelling services to consumers. We are going to let them choose what they want to buy and what they don't want to buy. That's starting to have a ripple effect on the industry. We're not trying to beat anyone or triumph over anyone. We're just trying to serve our consumers better.

    null
    READ MORE
    Disney-Fox Merger: Combined Box Office Strategy Begins
    Consumers on average pay for between three and four streaming services. How will you make sure Disney+ is one of them?

    We have to take our content and make it as exclusive as we can to our service. We have to make the app and the technology pretty seamless. You can find our content under our key brands, which is a real differentiator for us.

    What did you learn from the launch of ESPN+ that you'll apply to Disney+?

    It validates our strategy. If you put high-quality content in front of people that want it and you have the technology that works and you market it the right way, you can succeed. I think that enhances our expectations for the rest of our launches.

    What's the right mix of original and licensed programming on Disney+?

    Many of our core brands are going to be in that service. Some of this content will have an initial window, like a theatrically released film, some will be on television first, some will be original for the service. It will skew naturally from an hours perspective, because of how much we've invested over the years, toward product that's non-original, but we're making a lot of original content.

    Would you consider reviving the Marvel shows that Netflix canceled?

    They are very high-quality shows. We haven't yet discussed that, but I would say that's a possibility.

    Would you have renewed the Friends deal with Netflix if you had been in WarnerMedia's position?

    I'm sure [WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey] had his reasons, but when we were faced with a similar decision, to take [our programming] off in preparation to put it on our own service, that was right for us. We will continue to do that. Ultimately our direct-to-consumer service is going to be the only place you can find that content.

    WarnerMedia said it will explore selling its stake in Hulu, and Comcast could do the same. Is it your goal to own 100 percent of that business?

    We're open-minded to outcomes here. Maybe that would happen someday. We're not in any active discussions right now.

    How does Hulu fit into your international plans?

    We would like to have an international trilogy of services where it makes sense. We want a sports service like we have here; we want a general entertainment service, which would be Hulu, in different places around the world where we don't have that; and we want to have Disney around the world. An international rollout of Hulu would be something that we'd be very interested in, and we're talking to Hulu about that now.

    There was a time when it seemed likely that Disney would buy Vice. What happens to that investment following the recent $157 million write-down?

    We like Vice a lot. Nancy Dubuc, who we have a lot of faith in, ran A+E as a joint venture between us and Hearst for a long time. They make great content. What they're doing with news on HBO is really spectacular. It is a difficult space. As we know, it has been hard for everyone, and they are not exempt from that. But they are working very hard and have great creative instincts, a good business model. I think they are going to do great.

    Now that the Fox deal is nearly closed, what keeps you up at night?

    The deal closing keeps me up at night, but it is almost done and closed. I'm eager to execute. I'm eager to get these services out in the public's hands. That is an excitement more than it is a nervousness.


    A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
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  5. #5
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    cancelled

    ‘The Punisher’ & ‘Jessica Jones’ Canceled By Netflix; Latter’s 3rd Season Still To Air
    by Dominic Patten
    February 18, 2019 8:26am


    JEPH LOEB
    Marvel

    (UPDATED with Marvel Statement) EXCLUSIVE: Exactly a month after the launch of its second season on Netflix, Marvel’s The Punisher has had to bite the bullet as has Jessica Jones.

    As the only two series from the TV arm of the comic giant still left on the streamer, there will be no Season 3 of the Jon Bernthal led vigilante series, I’ve learned. The completed third season of the Krysten Ritter starring Jessica Jones will still appear on the streamer but will be put on ice for good after that.

    This marks the end of the multi-series, big bucks and big ambitions relationship between Marvel and Netflix that started in 2013 with the announcement of four series and a The Defenders limited series.



    “Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix,” Netflix confirmed today to Deadline. “Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal, delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come,” the streamer added.

    “In addition, in reviewing our Marvel programming, we have decided that the upcoming third season will also be the final season for Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” Netflix also made official this President’s Day. “We are grateful to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others”.

    “We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”



    The Jeph Loeb-led Marvel TV issued their own words of celebration and farewell after Deadline exclusively broke the news of the duel cancelation – with a kicker shout out to Daredevil, the first of the Marvel series to air on Netflix on April 10, 2015.

    It had never been done before. Four separate television series, each with different super-talented showrunners, writers, directors, cast and crew, coming out months apart and then …they would meet in a single event series all set in the heart of New York City. We called them The Defenders.

    And together we were thrilled by stories of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and even the Punisher joined in! They said it couldn’t be done.But Marvel assembled amazing teams to write, produce, direct, edit, and score 13 seasons and 161 one-hour episodes. Take a moment and go online and look at the dazzling list of actors, writers, directors, and musicians who graced us with the very best of their craft.

    We loved each and every minute of it.

    And we did it all for you — the fans — who cheered for us around the world and made all the hard work worth it.

    On behalf of everyone at Marvel Television, we couldn’t be more proud or more grateful to our audience. Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters… but you know Marvel better than that,” the company added.

    As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, ‘The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up. To be continued…!

    Though the decision not to bring Punisher back for more has been rumored for weeks, Netflix and Marvel waited until after the January 18 debuting 13-episode Season 2 had been on the streamer for several weeks before making the cancellation official. The end of Jones comes as more of a shocker – though I hear the end of the upcoming third and final season will serve as a savory series finale.

    The news of the end of Punisher and Jessica Jones follows the revelation that Walking Dead alum Bernthal is set to join New Line’s The Sopranos prequel feature, which currently has the working title of The Many Saints of Newark. In part it was because of new roles and new work like The Sopranos pic, the streamer didn’t want to have the creators and cast for either show hanging on waiting for renewals that clearly weren’t in the cards

    Bernthal took to social media this morning to offer a cryptic farewell of sorts:

    jonnybernthal
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    To all who have served. All who know loss. All who love and understand Frank and his pain. It has been an honor to walk in his boots. I’m endlessly grateful to the comic fans and the men and women of the Armed Services and law enforcement community who Frank means so much to. Thank you to the USMC and all the wonderful soldiers who trained me. Go Hard. Be safe.
    After Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil were all given the chop late last year by the streamer, the unplugging of further seasons of the blood and bullet strewn Frank Castle saga should really come as no surprise. With new and old Marvel content a big component of the upcoming Disney+ streaming service, the final stage of the disentangling of the once burgeoning relationship between the House of Mouse and Netflix has now become more a matter of when and how not if.

    Additionally, the Loeb-run Marvel TV inked a four-series and one special deal with the soon-to-be Disney dominated Hulu on February 11 that will surely become the new focus of the comic giant’s small screen division.

    As a part of the Marvel and Netflix collaboration that came together six years ago, Jessica Jones the TV series was the second series in the arrangement to launch on the streamer after Daredevil.

    Starring Breaking Bad alum Ritter in the title role of the emotionally shattered and hard living super powered P.I., Jones Season 1 debuted on November 15, 2015, with the second season launching on March 8, 2018. A third run of the critically acclaimed show about the Defenders member was ordered by Netflix back on April 12 last year

    First introduced in the Netflix universe with the March 18, 2016 launching second season of Daredevil, the Punisher is a ruthless and mercilessly fatal hunter of criminals who has long challenged, to be polite, the Marvel moral code since he appeared in the comics in early 1974.

    After WME repped Bernthal was announced in 2015 for the role in the Man Without Fear series, the character was given his own spinoff show. in 2016. Season 1 of The Punisher debuted on November 2017. Though a New York Comic Con panel for the firearms filled show was wiped off the schedule after the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 2, 2017, a second season pickup was made public just weeks later.

    Now, despite the last upcoming run of the final season of Jessica Jones later this year, the Marvel days at Netflix are deader than someone who rubbed Frank Castle the wrong way – and that’s dead.
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    $71.3 Billion

    Disney Closes $71.3 Billion Fox Deal, Creating Global Content Powerhouse
    9:02 PM PDT 3/19/2019 by Georg Szalai , Paul Bond


    Credit: The Walt Disney Company
    Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger and mogul Rupert Murdoch.

    Wall Street and other experts have lauded the strategic benefits for Disney, but also highlighted the cost of launching a streaming service later this year, which will be a drag on earnings.
    The Walt Disney Co. has closed its $71.3 billion acquisition of large parts of 21st Century Fox, expanding its global reach and content portfolio ahead of the planned launch of its own video streaming service.

    With the mega-deal, Disney, led by chairman and CEO Bob Iger, is adding the Fox film and TV studio, the FX networks, National Geographic, Indian TV giant Star India and Fox's 30 percent stake in streaming service Hulu to its portfolio. The additional Hulu portion takes Disney's stake in the streamer to 60 percent (with Comcast owning 30 percent, and AT&T's Warner Media 10 percent).

    Using fiscal-year 2017 data, Disney said in a regulatory filing that the new assets could quickly add about $19.3 billion in annual revenue and $1.6 billion in net income. In that fiscal year, Disney reported $55.1 billion in revenue and $9.4 billion in net income.

    Disney has promised $2 billion in cost savings from the Fox takeover, with some in the industry expecting between 4,000-10,000 layoffs.

    After getting a green light for the deal from shareholders, the U.S. Department of Justice, European regulators and Chinese regulators, the globe-spanning deal recently received final approvals from Brazil and Mexico.

    Disney must still sell 22 regional sports networks in the U.S. and its sports networks in Brazil and Mexico as part of regulatory approvals in those markets. In Europe, the company agreed to sell its stakes in such networks as Lifetime and History.

    Disney had in December 2017 struck a deal with Fox, controlled by the Murdoch family, for $52.4 billion. Comcast in June 2018 unveiled a $65.0 billion offer for the Fox assets before Disney shot back with a sweetened $71.3 billion offer that led Comcast to end its pursuit of Fox.

    The U.S. cable giant then focused on a showdown with Fox about ownership of European pay TV giant Sky, which was covered by Disney's offer for Fox. The latter had offered to boost its 39 percent stake in Sky to 100 percent, but Comcast trumped that bid, leading to a rare auction. Comcast won that with a $39 billion offer for Sky that closed late last year after Fox, backed by Disney, agreed to sell its 39 percent Sky stake just like other shareholders had also accepted Comcast's takeover offer.

    Wall Street and other experts have said that the Fox deal has strategic benefits for Disney and will boost its content and global power, but that the changed asset mix it brings along with the cost of launching the Disney+ streaming service later this year will be a drag on earnings over the near-term.

    BTIG's Richard Greenfield in a recent note even argued that "Disney’s streaming creates a financial black hole in an earnings-per-share valued company."

    Most on Wall Street are looking to an April 11 Disney investor day to get more insight into the Disney+ plans and how they will affect financials. "We don't expect to learn much specific on April 11 either," Bernstein analyst Todd Juenger said in a recent report. "Our best hope is for a) launch retail price of Disney+ in the U.S.; and b) some indication of magnitude of investment. Our stretch wish is some indication of cadence of international rollout."

    He said he and other analysts will update their financials models for Disney based on management commentary on that day. "From that, we will all hone our (widely disparate) models of subs, revenue, earnings and free cash flow impact and associated valuation," Juenger said.

    A recent study from research firm Ampere Analysis suggested that Comcast, after its recent $39 billion acquisition of European pay TV giant Sky, and Walt Disney, after its Fox deal, will dominate global content spending, putting some distance between themselves and Netflix. The two giants will spend $2 in every $10 on content on a worldwide basis, or 20 percent, compared with 37 percent in the U.S. Disney's content spending will amount to an 11 percent share worldwide and 23 percent in the U.S., while Comcast will account for 9 and 14 percent, respectively, according to Ampere.

    Meanwhile, analysts have been bullish or neutral on the outlook for the new Fox Corporation, which, now that the sale has been completed, will focus on U.S. news and sports more so than entertainment programming. The new Fox, led by Lachlan Murdoch as CEO and chairman and Rupert Murdoch as co-chairman, includes the Fox broadcast network, TV stations, the Fox News group and the Fox Sports assets.

    "The new Fox will begin as the only media company solely focused on the domestic market; focused on what Americans love best — sports, news and entertainment, built and delivered for a U.S. audience," Rupert Murdoch had said last year.

    Buckingham Research Group analyst Matthew Harrigan recently maintained his "buy" rating and raised his price target on the stock of Fox to $54 after previously lauding "generally good numbers for the businesses to be contributed to new Fox." He concluded that the new Fox's "earnings component appears healthy."

    On Tuesday, new Fox's first day of trading as the slimmed-down version of its former self, the stock closed at $49.69. Disney said late Tuesday that each share of 21st Century Fox will be exchanged for $51.57 or .4517 shares of TWDC Holdco 613 Corp., which, for now, is the holding company of Disney and Fox.
    Wonder what the tax on that transaction was...
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    The guide so far...

    APRIL 09, 2019 6:15am PT by Lesley Goldberg, Aaron Couch
    Disney+: A Comprehensive Guide to All Its Programming (So Far)


    Photofest; Getty Images; Photofest

    Still to be determined: when the direct-to-consumer Netflix rival platform will launch and how much it will cost.
    Disney will officially enter the streaming wars in the fall when it launches its direct-to-consumer platform, Disney+, in the fourth quarter of 2019.

    The platform, in the works since August 2017 when it was announced during an earnings call by Disney CEO Bob Iger, saw the media behemoth begin to pull its films from Netflix in a bid to use fare like Marvel features to incentivize potential subscribers to the service.

    Make no mistake, Disney+ is the company's biggest bet yet. The service — designed as a competitor to Netflix — will be a home to Disney's massive animated feature library as well as assets from Lucasfilm (Star Wars), Pixarand Marvel, including new scripted offerings from the latter two companies.

    Disney+ will be a separate service from its majority stake in Hulu and sports-themed ESPN+. While viewers will have to pay for each of the three services, they will all exist on the same platform — meaning subscribers can use the same password and credit card for the each and all.

    As Disney continues to reveal plans for the streaming service, here's a guide to keep track of who's running the show and all of the original series earmarked for Disney+.

    THE TOP DECISION MAKERS

    Kevin Mayer serves as chairman of the Disney direct-to-consumer and international. He was given oversight of the platform in March 2018 after serving as Disney's chief strategy officer. He reports to Iger.

    Ricky Strauss serves as president of content and marketing at Disney+. He's charged with developing the platform's strategic content vision and has greenlight power for TV and movies. He previously served as president of film marketing for Disney. He reports to Mayer.

    Joe Earley is executive vp marketing and operations. The former Fox TV Group chief operating officer will lead content and brand marketing for Disney+. He will also working with its customer acquisition marketing group and oversee operations related to programming from Disney content groups including Walt Disney Studios, Disney-ABC TV Group and Pixar Animation, Marvel and Lucasfilm as well as third-party entities. He reports to Strauss.

    Agnes Chu is senior vp content. She oversees programming for the streaming service and previously worked in story and franchise development at Walt Disney Imagineering and as a vp in the office of CEO Iger. She reports to Strauss.

    The larger plan is to include content from Disney assets like Marvel and Lucasfilm — and potentially newly acquired Fox assets like FX and National Geographic — on the Disney+ platform. Those will join a rapidly growing roster of scripted originals, below.

    Star Wars: The Mandalorian | Expected to premiere in 2019, the drama takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi and before the villainous First Order rose to replace the Empire. Favreau has described it as following "the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic." The series has booked a number of high-profile directors, including Taika Waititi, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow and Star Wars: The Clone Saga's Dave Filoni. Favreau executive produces with Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Filoni. Pedro Pascal leads a cast that includes Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito and Werner Herzog, among others.

    Star Wars: Rogue One prequel | Diego Luna will reprise his role as rebel spy Cassian Andor for the live-action series, which is set during the early days of the Rebellion and ahead of the events of Rogue One.

    Star Wars: The Clone Wars | The animated series has been revived for its seventh overall season on Disney+ with a 12-episode order. Clone Wars — set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in the Star Wars timeline — ran for five seasons on Cartoon Network. It featured characters from the movie franchise, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and introduced new ones to the canon, including clone trooper Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi padawan. A few episodes for a potential sixth season were already in the works and completed and released as a special "Lost Missions."

    High Fidelity | A reboot of the 2000 film take on Nick Hornby's novel, the 10-episode dramedy is described as a reimagining of the movie and book but told from a female point of view. Zoe Kravitz (Big Little Lies) takes on the role originally played by John Cusack in the film and will play the ultimate music van and record store owner who is obsessed with pop culture and top-five lists. The daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, the latter played Cusack's ex-girlfriend Marie DeSalle in the original film. Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka created the High Fidelity TV series and will exec produce alongside Zoe Kravitz and Midnight Radio's Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg.

    High School Musical: The Musical | The 10-episode foray is based on the Emmy-winning franchise and will be shot as a docu-style series and follow a group of students at East High who stage a performance of High School Musical for their winter theater production, only to realize that as much drama happens offstage as onstage. Every episode will feature a new rendition of a song from High School Musical as well as an original song. Tim Federle (Ferdinand) and Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars), with the latter on board as showrunner. HSM exec producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush also exec produce the series. Relative newcomer Joshua Bassett stars.

    Monsters, Inc. | An animated series based on the Pixar franchise will also be among the Disney+ offerings. Sources say the series will take place a few months after the events of the first film.

    Marvel's Loki TV series | Tom Hiddleston is expected to reprise his role as fan-favorite MCU character Loki in the live-action series that will follow the trickster and shape-shifter as he pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events. Michael Waldron will write the pilot, serve as series creator and exec produce.

    Marvel's Vision and Secret Witch | Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are expected to reprise their big-screen characters as Vision and Secret Witch in the series. Jac Schaeffer, one of the writers behind Captain Marvel, will run point on the series that will focus on the two integral members of the Avengers. She will pen the pilot and exec produce the series.

    Marvel's Winter Soldier/Falcon team-up | Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are expected to reprise their roles as Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the miniseries, which has Malcolm Spellman (Empire) set to pen the script.

    Diary of a Female President | The live-action comedy is the first Disney+ series to hail from an outside studio (CBS TV Studios). Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez will exec produce the 10-episode series that is told from the narration of her diary and follows a Cuban-American 12-year-old girl as she the ups and downs of middle school and her journey to becoming the future president of the United States. Ilana Pea (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) created the original concept and will serve as writer and executive producer. Robin Shorr (The Carmichael Show) will serve as showrunner and exec produce alongside Rodriguez and her CBS TV Studios-based I Can and I Will banner topper Emily Gipson.

    Book of Enchantment | Adapted from author Serena Valentino's book series, the drama will spotlight Disney villains like the Beast, Ursula and the witch from Snow White. Michael Seitzman (Quantico) will pen the script and exec produce the ABC Signature Studios entry that marks a flip of the script of ABC's beloved fairy tale drama Once Upon a Time.

    Ink & Paint | The eight-episode docuseries will be based on Mindy Johnson's book Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation.

    Other series, including a potential What-If Marvel animated entry, a take on Escape to Witch Mountain and a potential Muppets series have also been rumored.
    continued next post
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    Continued from previous post

    FEATURE FILMS

    Lady & the Tramp I Disney has had major successes with live-action remakes of animated classics such The Jungle Book and Beautify and the Beast, and will be moving that formula to streaming with its adaptation of the 1955 love story about two dogs from different sides of the tracks. Tessa Thompson voice stars Lady and Justin Theroux is voicing the Tramp. Kiersey Clemons, Thomas Mann and Janelle Monae also star in the film from The Lego Ninjago director Charlie Bean.

    Noelle I Anna Kendrick stars as Santa Claus' daughter Noelle in the Christmas story with a female-centric twist. Bill Hader also stars, in the film. Did You Hear About the Morgans? filmmaker Marc Lawrence wrote the script and is directing. Noelle has no release date but originally was going to be released theatrically on Nov. 1 before being earmarked for Disney+

    Timmy Failure I The adaptation of the children's book series by Stephan Pastis centers on the 11-year old boy who believes he is the best detective in town. He runs the detective agency, Total Failure Inc. with his partner, a 1,200-pound (and imaginary) polar bear. Spotlight filmmaker Tom McCarthy is directing the project, with Jim Whitaker producing. Ophelia Lovibond, Chloe Coleman and Craig Robinson star.

    Stargirl I The film is based on the 2000 YA book from Jerry Spinelli and centers on a homeschooled teenage girl who enrolls in an Arizona high school. Her non-conformity alters the ecosystem of the student body and captures the heart of star-struck boy. After the student body turns on the girl, the boy tells her to go against her nature and try to fit in. Julia Hart directs from a script by Kristin Hahn. Grace VanderWaal, Graham Verchere, Maximiliano Hernandez and Giancarlo Esposito star.

    Togo I The action-adventure film stars Willem Dafoe and centers on a famous and dangerous sled-dog relay. Invincible director Ericson Core is at the helm of the project. Tom Flynn wrote the script for Togo, which is being produced by Kim Zubick.

    Bookmark this page as THR will continue to update it as Disney+ continues to make content deals.
    How much? Oh never mind - just take my money.
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    Not surprising

    Disney+ Won't Have Song Of The South; Dumbo's Crow Scene Will Be Cut
    BY MIKE JONES – ON APR 20, 2019 IN MOVIE NEWS



    Disney+ won’t include Song of the South, and Dumbo’s crow scene will be cut. As the race to create the most in-demand subscription streaming service continues to heat up, Disney has quickly become a prominent source of interest for many. The Mouse House has been making some pretty big moves as of late, and their new streaming service (which launches this fall) isn’t immune to those changes.

    Disney is currently busy with their acquisition of Fox, paying a whopping $71.3 billion for the privilege and reeling in a lengthy list of titles, franchises, and still in-development projects that may or may not now see the light of day. With the details of that acquisition still being sorted out, Disney then went and bought out AT&T/Warner from the previous four-way joint ownership of Hulu, making them and NBCUniversal its sole owners. The move now makes Disney the major stakeholder in Hulu, taking a 60 percent share of the popular streaming platform. And, as if all this weren’t enough, Disney has been offering glimpses of what potential subscribers can expect from their upcoming family-friendly streaming service.

    The latest bit of news to be revealed about Disney+ comes to us courtesy of Boardwalk Times and deals specifically with the new service’s content. Though Disney+ will offer subscribers access to their extensive list of titles, one title Disney fans won’t be seeing on offer is the 1946 Oscar-winning film Song of the South. Disney+ will also cut the Jim Crow scene from the original version of Dumbo.



    Song of the South, which takes place just after the American Civil War, has long been unavailable on home video due to its insensitive manner of dealing with America’s slave-owning past and the insinuation that life on a plantation was enjoyable for those forced to be there. The snappy, upbeat "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1947, despite its at-odds nature when played alongside inaccurate depictions of plantation life. Though the film introduced the characters of Br’er Rabbit, Fox, and Bear to the Disney family, who later became part of the beloved Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland and Disney World, it remains a relic of a bygone era. As far as Dumbo goes, the Jim Crow scene has already been cut from Tim Burton’s live-action remake. The original animated film sees the crows help Dumbo learn to fly, but due to their manner and name (Jim Crow refers to America’s period of segregation laws beginning in the mid 1960s), Disney has dropped it.

    Some might bristle at Disney’s decision to erase aspects of its history and will instead cite the WB approach (via: @CLXcool) of warning viewers beforehand that what they are about to watch is from another era, but Disney is making the smart choice here. With its recent increase in content, plus its own already monstrous selection, Disney has plenty to offer without having to provide programming that has no relevance in 2019. Some might argue that to remove aspects of or deny these productions is to sanitize history, but the fact of the matter is that history can be found in a myriad of other, much more reputable sources. Family programming should first and foremost always be open and friendly to all.
    I wonder if Disney+ will have the Star Wars Xmas special...
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  10. #10
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    Disney+

    Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Series Finds Director (Exclusive)
    SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 1:46PM by Borys Kit


    Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi (Inset: Deborah Chow) | Twentieth Century Fox/Photofest; Rachel Luna/Getty

    Deborah Chow has helmed several episodes of the 'Star Wars' spinoff series 'The Mandalorian' ahead of its Disney+ bow Nov. 12.

    This is the director Obi-Wan has been looking for. Deborah Chow, who directed episodes of the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, is returning to the far-away galaxy and will helm the series featuring the popular character Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    Ewan McGregor is returning as the Jedi Master for the series Lucasfilm is making for Disney+, the stand-alone $7 streaming service that the company is set to launch Nov. 12.

    Chow has proved herself in the elevated genre space in cable series. In addition to two episodes of The Mandalorian, she has directed and worked on shows such as American Gods, Better Call Saul, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, Reign and Mr. Robot. Chow is repped by WME and Schreck Rose.

    "We really wanted to select a director who is able to explore both the quiet determination and rich mystique of Obi-Wan in a way that folds seamlessly into the Star Wars saga," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Friday in a statement. "Based on her phenomenal work developing our characters in The Mandalorian, I’m absolutely confident Deborah is the right director to tell this story."

    The Disney+ series, to be written by Hossein Amini, centers on Kenobi, one of the central figures in the Star Wars mythos. In the original 1977 movie, he is a desert-dwelling, war-weary hermit who later proves to be a wise and powerful warrior. Kenobi briefly mentors a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine before being cut down by Darth Vader, his former pupil.

    In the George Lucas-directed prequels, Kenobi fought alongside the young Jedi who would eventually become Vader and betray him and the Jedi Order. The live-action character was last seen in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, back on the desert planet Tatooine.

    McGregor’s Kenobi series is the third live-action series on the Disney+ docket. The Mandalorian is central to the launch of the streaming service, which is also developing a Rogue One prequel amongst its Star Wars offering. The latter is an as-yet untitled series featuring Rebel Alliance officer Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising the role.

    A Kenobi stand-alone project had been set up as a feature, with Stephen Daldry directing, in 2017. But Disney switched gears on its plans for the Star Wars franchise after the relatively underwhelming box office response to the Han Solo spinoff Solo, which grossed $392 million worldwide that year.

    Sept. 27, 2:42 p.m. Updated with Kennedy's statement and Amini's writing credits after Lucasfilm officially confirmed THR's reporting.


    BORYS KIT
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  11. #11

    The Disney+ Trailer

    Disney released a three-hour trailer of the TV series and movies they will have available on Disney+


    The actual runtime on the trailer comes in at 3 hours, 17 minutes and 53 seconds. The mega-sized video begins with clips of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and ends with The Mandalorian,

  12. #12
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    Disney+ reboot?

    Iron Fist Being Rebooted On Disney Plus With New Cast
    By Christian Bone 3 days ago

    According to recent reports, the odds are looking good for more of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in the MCU, following the cancellation of the characters’ Netflix shows. The same can’t be said for Iron Fist, though. The protector of K’un-Lun was always generally considered to be the least popular of the Defenders and it seems Marvel doesn’t want to continue the franchise as is. Instead, a reboot could be on the way.

    We Got This Covered has heard from our sources – the same ones who told us the Inhumans were being rebooted in Ms. Marvel and that Marvel was considering recasting Hawkeye, both of which have since been confirmed – that Iron Fist will get a relaunch of some sort on Disney Plus. This would be a Marvel Studios project rather than a Marvel Television one, which means that Kevin Feige will have creative control. Apparently, Feige “hated” the Netflix series so he wants to start from scratch with the character. Specifically, Finn Jones will definitely not return as Danny Rand. Instead, an Asian actor is likely to be found to replace him.



    Creating a new Iron Fist on Disney Plus would then allow for the hero to crossover with other corners of the MCU. In particular, he could appear in a future Shang-Chi movie, as we’ve previously reported. It’s unclear whether the new Danny will show up in a movie or his TV series first, but we’re told that Marvel definitely wants to redo the character and have him team up with Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi at some point.

    If the studio was to recast any of the other Defenders, there’d probably be a huge outcry, but most fans will probably be on board with the decision if and when this comes to pass. With no offense intended to Jones though, who did the best with the material he was given. Sure, it might create some continuity hiccups – how can Netflix’s Iron Fist be non-canon if the other heroes are? – but it’d worth it if it improves on what’s come before.
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    Ouch

    Disney+ Hit by Technical Issues on Launch Day
    4:43 AM PST 11/12/2019 by Georg Szalai , Ryan Parker



    The company issued a statement, which said in part that demand "exceeded our high expectations."
    The Walt Disney Co.’s Disney+ streaming service appeared to be hit by technical difficulties on its launch day, Tuesday.

    Twitter users mentioned problems accessing the service or some of its features around 7 a.m. New York time, and Downdetector.com showed 6,900 reports of problems with the service around 7:30 a.m. ET and slightly more than 7,000 later before problem reports dropped off. People mentioned problems signing up, logging in and streaming.

    Downdetector.com's map view showed problems in the U.S., parts of Canada and the Netherlands.

    Some U.S. users were allowed to purchase Disney+ on their computer, but once paid for, the streaming service would not load on smart TVs or on the PlayStation app.

    An error icon would appear each time, showing Mickey Mouse and his dog, Pluto, in space outfits. It would then force users to exit the service.

    Once the service did load properly, some titles, such as under the Star Wars category, were unavailable; that error page was just a blank blue screen that said, "Sorry something went wrong. Please try again later."

    For shows and films that did not trigger an error message, some load times exceeded 30 seconds.

    Would-be users vented their frustrations via social media.

    Around 7 a.m. P.T., Disney released the following statement: "The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our high expectations. We are working to quickly resolve the current user issue. We appreciate your patience."

    Disney did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

    Earlier Tuesday, the company had said that Disney+ has launched, as planned, in the U.S., Canada and The Netherlands with nearly 500 films and 7,500 TV episodes.

    Disney+ is set to launch in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico on Nov. 19. Disney also previously said that on March 31, 2020, Disney+ will launch in markets across Western Europe, including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain and "a number of other countries in the region."

    7 a.m.: Updated with a statement from Disney.
    Two of my buddies are subscribed and both complained of issues on facebook last night.
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    DECEMBER 10, 2019 4:00PM PT
    Marvel to Shutter Television Division
    By JOE OTTERSON
    TV Reporter
    @https://twitter.com/joeotterson

    Marvel’s television division is officially winding down.

    Variety has learned that Marvel Television will no longer be developing any new series beyond the shows that are currently in production. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Marvel will eliminate a number of positions in the near future as a result of the cessation of development at the division. Karim Zreik, senior vice president of current programming and production and members of his team will now join the Marvel Studios group. Zreik will lead the current projects in production. Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb will remain with the division during the transition.

    The move to close up shop on Marvel Television was not altogether unexpected, as Variety reported in September that there was a growing perception in the industry that Loeb’s division was on its way out given that Marvel movies boss Kevin Feige was set to produce a number of big budget live-action shows for Disney Plus featuring character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Feige had been promoted to chief creative officer of Marvel and has taken over the Disney-owned company’s storytelling across mediums, including publishing, film, TV, and animation. It was widely believed at that time that Loeb would exit the company within the next few months.

    The only Marvel Television live-action show currently in the works is “Helstrom” at Hulu. Hulu had previously ordered a live-action “Ghost Rider” series starring Gabriel Luna as well, but that project was scrapped in September.

    Marvel also has four animated shows at Hulu: “Howard the Duck,” “Hit Monkey,” “Tigra & Dazzler,” and “M.O.D.O.K.” All four shows are expected to debut separately before crossing over with “The Offenders” event series. However, news broke last week that the showrunner and writing staff of “Tigra & Dazzler” had departed the show over creative differences. The search for a new showrunner is ongoing.

    Fellow Marvel-Hulu series “The Runaways” will end with its upcoming third season, while “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” will end after seven seasons on ABC this spring. All of Marvel Television’s other live-action shows have been canceled in the past year.

    Feige’s division — part of the Walt Disney Studios feature-film operation — is currently working on shows centered on characters like Hawkeye, Falcon and Winter Soldier, as well as Loki, and Vision and Scarlet Witch, with shows based on She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight also in the works.

    According to sources, multiple Marvel Television and Home & Family Entertainment executives at the vice president level and above outside of Zreik’s team will be replaced as a result of the move. In addition, sources say that Brian Crosby, creative director of Marvel Themed Entertainment, will no longer be working on Marvel projects as part of the Disney parks division, though he will remain with the company.

    Also exiting the company is family entertainment chief Cort Lane. A Marvel veteran in charge of television animation, Lane has deep relationships with counterparts in Disney’s corporate-franchises, parks and consumer-products arms, as well as with licensees such as Hasbro and Lego. He is believed to be staying on through January as part of the transition, as Marvel gears up for its first major TV entry in the preschool space, “Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends.”
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    Mickey's slate

    Still not subscribed to Disney+. With this lineup, I wouldn't watch anything else...
    Dec 10, 2020 2:36pm PT
    ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel’s Futures Now Flow Through Disney Plus

    By Adam B. Vary


    Courtesy of Disney
    Presaging a massive expansion of Disney Plus programming, Disney announced on Thursday that Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios will be delivering at least 22 series to the streaming service starting in 2021, with even more series coming from Disney Animation and Pixar Animation. For over two hours during the company’s Investor Day presentation, the heads of each of the company’s creative divisions unspooled an almost overwhelming torrent of new content that heavily emphasized its year-old streaming service.

    Feature films released in theaters were only mentioned sporadically; linear television barely got lip service. The overwhelming effect confirmed what industry observers have surmised for months: Bolstered by the rapid subscriber growth that blasted expectations, Disney’s core business is now Disney Plus — and it will continue to be even as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

    The sense of scale of the Disney Plus offerings was hinted at early by Kareem Daniel, Disney’s new distribution chief, who opened the presentation by nothing that 10 “Star Wars” series, 10 Marvel series, and 15 Disney and Pixar Animation series will debut on Disney Plus. While Daniel did not specific a time frame, the creative portion of the presentation, introduced by executive chairman Bob Iger, suggested a time horizon stretching into 2023.

    Easily the biggest surprise was Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announcing a slate of 10 “Star Wars” series for Disney Plus, the most aggressive creative expansion of the franchise since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. To date, Disney has released five “Star Wars” feature films in theaters and just one series, “The Mandalorian,” on Disney Plus; by 2023, when the next feature “Star Wars” film opens in movie theaters — “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron,” from director Patty Jenkins — that ratio will have not only flipped, but just about toppled the scales.

    Among the Disney Plus offerings announced by Kennedy:

    • “Andor,” a “Rogue One” prequel series focusing on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor that’s currently in production and will debut in 2022.

    • “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprising their roles from the prequel movie trilogy, which will go into production in March 2021.

    • “The Rangers of the New Republic” and “Ahsoka,” direct spin-offs of “The Mandalorian” from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The latter will star Rosario Dawson in the title role she originated on “The Mandalorian,” and all three shows will intersect in “a climactic story event.”

    • “Lando,” a new spin-off series from “Dear White People” creator Justin Simien following classic “Star Wars” rogue Lando Calrissian. The character was played by Donald Glover in 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” but it’s unclear if Glover will return for the series.

    • “The Acolyte,” a female-centric series, billed as a “mystery-thriller” set in the final days of the High Republic era, from Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”).

    • “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” the animated follow up to the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

    • “Star Wars: Visions,” an anthology collection of short films set in the “Star Wars” universe from 10 different Japanese animation creators, which will debut in 2021.

    • “A Droid Story,” an animated series from Lucasfilm Animation and Lucasfilm’s visual effects team that sets R2-D2 and C-3PO on a new adventure.

    Marvel Studios, by contrast, had already announced eight titles for Disney Plus, almost all of which are in some stage of development or production. “WandaVision” will premiere on Jan. 15; “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” will debut on March 9; “Loki” will debut in May; the animated speculative series “What If…?” will debut in the summer; the live-action series “Ms. Marvel,” currently in production, will debut later in 2021; and “Hawkeye,” with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld will debut in late 2021. For 2022, “She-Hulk,” with Tatiana Maslany, and “Moon Knight” (cast unannounced) are in the pipeline as well.

    And that would have been enough! But Feige also announced four new titles for Disney Plus:

    • “Secret Invasion” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, which Feige billed as “the biggest crossover comic event of the last 20 years,” which is saying something from the man who produced “Avengers: Endgame.”

    • “Ironheart,” an “Iron Man” spin-off series focusing on inventor Riri Williams, as played by Dominique Thorne (“If Beale Street Could Talk”).

    • “Armor Wars,” based on the 1980s comic book series about what happens when Tony Stark’s technology falls into the wrong hands, starring Don Cheadle as War Machine.

    • “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,” which writer-director James Gunn will shoot while making “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

    Feige did briefly discuss Marvel Studios’ feature slate, noting, for example, that “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani will appear in “Captain Marvel 2,” and announcing that “Spider-Man: Far From Home” director Jon Watts will direct a new “Fantastic 4” movie. But while Feige debuted several first looks at Marvel’s Disney Plus slate, he only mentioned his feature films in passing — even though both “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” have both finished production and will also debut in 2021. His focus was all Disney Plus.

    Walt Disney Studios chief Sean Bailey also announced a few new animated feature titles for Disney Plus, including an animated “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie; a new “Ice Age” movie, “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild”; an animated “Night at the Museum” film; and a live-action/animated hybrid feature “Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescure Rangers” starring John Mulaney and Andy Samberg — all of them premiering on Disney Plus. And several of the studio’s live action offerings — including “Three Men and a Baby” with Zac Efron, “Cheaper by the Dozen” with Gabrielle Union; “Peter Pan & Wendy” with Jude Law and Yara Shahidi; “Sister Act 3” with Whoopi Goldberg; and “Pinocchio” with Tom Hanks — are all also debuting exclusively on Disney Plus.

    The one minor exception to the Disney Plus main street parade was the presentations by Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Animation. Both Disney Animation head Jennifer Lee and Pixar head Pete Docter also announced a series of new animated series for Disney Plus — many, but not all, spin-offs from established feature film titles. Unlike their (mostly) live-action corporate cousins, however, both Lee and Docter spent as much time showcasing their upcoming feature slates. Considering that the Walt Disney Company began with animation, perhaps it’s fitting that at least those divisions are still eagerly in line, waiting to get back into theaters.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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