Looks like War Machine will finally get his own series, as Marvel Studios announced Armor Wars. It will focus on the iconic series of Tony’s biggest fear. It is an interesting story to tackle that will most likely tie-in with the Ironheart series that was announced right before. This could also mean that the amours destroyed in Iron Man 3 may have found a new owner who took his time putting them back together. My money would also be on the return of Ultron, who may take control of them but it is only speculation as of now.
Tag: Disney Plus
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First Look at ‘Loki’ Disney+ Series
We didn’t just get a trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but also for the third Disney+ series Loki. Kevin Feige described it as a mystery thriller, which is quite an interesting approach to this iconic character. The trailer was amazing, as it unveiled some movie-level effects and set pieces. It looks like whatever Loki will be up to might destroy the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It might be interesting to see how it all ties together, especially as the ending has unveiled he will once again meet Thor and Heimdall. After Heimdall’s death at the hands of Thanos, it opens up a lot of questions if he remains in a separate universe. The series will premier in Mai, which seems to hint at a two-month release window for each show.
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Tim Roth to Return as Abomination in ‘She-Hulk’
Now, this is a huge reveal. We always theorized that the upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk will explore many aspects of Hulk’s history. We all were hoping that some from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk would finally return. Kevin Feige has just revealed that Tim Roth will return as Abomination in the Disney+ series. We will finally find out what he has been up to since he was taken into custody during the events of the 2008 film. This also opens up the possibility of The Leader finally making an appearance, which could still be possible.
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‘Rogue-One’ Spin-Off Officially Titled ‘Andor’ with Sneak Preview
Finally, the story focused on Cassian Andor has gotten a title and it is as simple as you expect it to be. The series is titled Andor, which includes Stellan Skarsgard. Mon Mothma will also make her return in the series. Not just that, we even got a trailer, which we can actually watch, that showcases the show’s direction. The Rogue One spin-off is described as a spy spin-off that will continue to explore Cassian’s story before the events of the film.
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‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 15 Primer
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 14 ” The Tragedy”, Grogu and Mando arrived on Tython immediately. Grogu got to the seeing stone to do his Jedi business and then Slave I arrived, distracting Din Djarin and taking his attention away from Grogu. After a bit of a standoff with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, he teams up with them to fight off Stormtroopers that were sent by Moff Gideon. While all of this is happening, Grogu is by himself and gets taken by the Dark Troopers back to Gideon. The Razor Crest was blown up, giving Din only one option: to go with Boba and Fennec. He starts trying to form a team with Cara Dune and is on his way to Miggs Mayfield when the episode ends.
Last season, Miggs and Mando went on a mission together, Mayfield backstabbed Mando but Mando turned it around and left him locked up in prison. Mayfield may not want to work with him given what happened the last time they saw each other. If Miggs joins the team, he may not be the final piece. We’ve met some other characters along the way who would be perfect additions to the Grogu Rescue Squad. Among those he might call on for help are:
- Bo-Katan and her group
- Greef Karga
- The Mythrol
- Ahsoka
There are also a couple of other characters from Chapter 6 who could come back and help if it gets them a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Arlyn’s Assumptions
I don’t think Ashoka will be back for the team. Bringing a former Jedi back on the team might make the fight for Grogu a little unfair and a little less exciting. I would believe they will set it up so he wants her to be on the team but can’t find her, sidelining her for this episode. It’s most likely that Bo-Katan will join the Grogu Rescue Squad because it gets her close to achieving her goal of reacquiring the Darksaber.
I also think that like last season, it will take 2 episodes to resolve the conflict and to retrieve Grogu. Will the Grogu Rescue Squad leave in one piece? I don’t think so.
Chapter 15 of The Mandalorian will stream tomorrow.
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Disney+ Expansion Confirmed to Include Mature-Content in International Markets
It has been a long-time coming but finally, Disney confirmed that Disney+ will expand beyond its family-friendly focus. There were quite a few rumors going around that they would combine with Hulu and Star. It made sense, as Disney+ was lacking any R-rated content and seemed rather restrictive if you consider offers by their competitors. Well, they have confirmed that the STAR branding will take Hulu’s place in international markets with a brand new look. India is getting a combined service with Disney+ Hotstar. It looks like Star will be fully integrated into Disney+ with original and library entertainment series. It will be available and launched on February 23rd.
That means the price of Disney+ will rise to 8.99 € as it includes additional footage. You can access it via the main channels but you have to access it via a password. So the core content is expanded in the main menu. Latin America will also have access to the standalone STAR+ service. It is really confusing how each market has a different streaming service and availability.
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‘Percy Jackson And The Olympians’ Logo Revealed
We are only a few hours away from Disney’s Investor’s Day. The event will be four hours long, so many are expecting some reveals and teases of the company’s future ventures. There is a lot of attention towards their digital offerings, as Disney+ has gained a lot more traction this year. It has been a challenge for the House of Mouse to keep their theme parks open, so they are investing in ventures that could make up for their current losses. So, a variety of new shows are expected to be announced to map out the future. They’ve also been collecting a variety of high IPs, such as Rick Riordan‘s Percy Jackson series. Well, it looks like we got a glimpse ahead of the event, as the author has leaked the series’ logo on TikTok.
Looks like they went with the original name instead of just the protagonists’ name. Percy Jackson and the Olympians ran for five volumes and ended in 2009 with The Last Olympian. The story focused on demigod Percy Jackson, as he gets thrust into a world of Greek mythology that has been hidden from the modern world. The first book The Lightning Thief was adapted into a film by Chris Columbus back in 2010. Its sequel, Sea of Monsters, followed in 2013 with Thor Freudenthal at the helm. Disney purchased the rights tot he company back in May and creator Riordan revealed that they are developing a Disney+ series. We do not know if the first season will mainly adapt The Lightning Thief but we may get some more information at the upcoming event.
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Ahead of Investor Day, Marvel Studios Green Lights AT LEAST One New Project
Disney’s 4-hour Investor Day presentation today is expected, among other things, reveal plans for a “significant expansion of the Star Wars universe”, unveil which of Disney’s feature films will head directly to Disney Plus and, most relevant to this piece, unleash a few new Marvel Studios projects. Ahead of today’s meeting, we have identified a new production company associated with Marvel Studios: Frequent Productions.
The creation of production companies is one of the earliest signs that movement has begun on new projects. Each project is assigned its own company and then work on the projects begin in earnest under those banners. At the moment, there are 3 production companies we are 100% sure are associated with Marvel Studios:
- Solve Everything (almost certainly the Fantastic Four film)
- Grass-Fed (we have no idea, but have a lot of guesses)
- Frequent (see some guesses below)
There are also 3 other production companies, uncovered earlier by Arlyn Murphy, that have been created and COULD be associated with Marvel Studios but, as of now, there’s not enough evidence to make the call; however, should they be associated with Marvel Studios, they’d represent another 3 projects which have been green lit:
- Blueberry Waffles
- Log Jam
- Standoffish
Based on what we know, the most logical assumption we can make is that Frequent Productions is related to the Nick Fury-centric series being developed by Kyle Bradstreet. That series (which I am increasingly more convinced is a Secret Warriors adaptation), would seemingly be the furthest along in development and “ready” to move into the earliest stages of “pre-production” in order to prepare to film next Spring. We’ve heard the studio hopes to film it in the Spring and is looking at Atlanta’s Tyler Perry Studios, which is currently being used by Marvel Studios to film Hawkeye, and Frequent Productions will be operating out of Atlanta.
Going into today’s Investor presentation with the knowledge that Solve Everything is likely to be Fantastic Four and Frequent could maybe possibly be the Nick Fury series, we can generate some realistic expectations about what projects the studio may “announce.” Keep in mind that as far as official Marvel Studios announcements go, the Nick Fury series and Deadpool 3 don’t “OFFICIALLY” exist yet, so out of these 2 “sure thing” companies (Grass-Fed and Frequent) and 3 “50/50” companies (Blueberry Waffles, Log Jam and Standoffish) we could guess that 2 of them belong to those 2 projects. That gives us 3 other “possible” projects that MIGHT POSSIBLY BUT WE CAN’T BE CERTAIN be announced. Among those most likely to match up with these production companies are Ironheart, Young Avengers, Ghost Rider, Secret Invasion and The Illuminati, all projects which were in the earliest stages of development earlier this year. It’s also possible that some other projects have moved up in order and we just don’t know about them yet.
On the film side of things, the slate through 2023 seems pretty firm with Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, Ant-Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 all either currently shooting or scheduled to shoot and Fantastic Four, Blade and Deadpool 3 seemingly “next up.” Of that list, only Blade and Deadpool 3 aren’t yet known to be tied to any production companies, so they might occupy 2 of those as well. Of course, Marvel Studios could add to their upcoming film slate in a surprising way today as well, but extending it much beyond 2023 given the current environment might be an unnecessary risk.
So truly out of the 5 unoccupied production companies, 3 of them might belong to projects we already know about in Blade, Deadpool 3 and the Fury series. Still, that leaves 2 “surprises” should Marvel Studios choose to reveal them. Personally, I look forward to getting some interesting updates and finding out about the new D+ series they plan to produce in 2021, but am always willing to be surprised! For now, we can say with certainty that Frequent Productions belongs to one of these upcoming Marvel Studios projects but since we don’t know, we’re asking you guys to vote on it over at @MultiverseMurph!
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‘Daredevil’ Should Kick-Off Disney+’s Expansion
Spider-Man 3 is going to be quite the film. It is bringing together so many corners of Marvel franchises that it feels like it might reinvent our expectations of a Spider-Verse film. João has offered an overview of how this concept could work for the untitled threequel. There was one piece of news that may have caught everyone off-guard. Charles V. has revealed that Charlie Cox will return to play Matt Murdock once again. This reveal is massive, as not too long ago, the rights moved back to Marvel, as the last season of the Netflix series released two years. Now, we are also left with the question: will Daredevil finally get a continuation or new series?
Even after its cancellation, the series was the third most popular series on the streaming service with an average of 25M viewers. It brought the character to the forefront of the popular consciousness and defined Charlie Cox in the role. It also introduced us to a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that broke beyond the PG-13 barrier. Sadly, it got canceled after its third season pushed the franchise to new highs. Erik Oleson, who took over the role as showrunner duties for the final season, even pitched a fourth one before Netflix axed it. It was also no coincidence that Disney was looking into developing its streaming service at the time.
Disney+ introduced us to a familiar-friendly streamer, so it seemed unlikely it would get added to its library. From that perspective, it seemed like there was no chance that Daredevil would make it to the service. Well, that was until the recent developments may have changed the playing field. Rumors are going around that Disney+ will combine with Hulu in the US while Europe gets the Star branding. It allows them to include R-rated content that will help grow their subscription numbers exponentially. It seems probable that they could announce this at the upcoming Investor’s Day, which Edward points out in his latest article.
Such a massive announcement could use a headliner series. So, why not explore the return of Daredevil as a big selling point. They could even include Moon Knight in this expansion to explore the character’s darker side in a future season. If they also buy the rights to stream the original Netflix shows via this service, we could get a confirmation that this is a continuation of the character we already know. There have been hints that Spider-Man 3 is bringing back the iconic actors to play new versions of existing characters. Plus, the whole multiverse aspect could also add to the confusion whatever direction they go with the character. I am sure Daredevil returning with a brand new show on Disney+ Star will certainly get everyone’s attention at the streaming service expansion.
Source: Forbes, Business Insider, Digital Spy
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What To Expect from Disney’s Investor Day
Disney’s Investor Day will be held virtually this year on December 10th, 2020.
2020 has been quite an unconventional year, to say the least. Especially if you’re a big Hollywood studio. Movies and movie studios have taken a heavy hit this year with the pandemic forcing theaters worldwide to shut down. As time went on, some studios tried to return to a sense of normality by reopening some theaters and distributing their movies there. Others adapted and tried a more “direct-to-streaming” PVoD approach with their films. But no matter the case, it’s forced some studios to delay their projects and production slates. But now, we’ll able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as the Walt Disney Company will hold its virtual Investor Day tomorrow.
What exactly goes down on Investor Day?
Disney’s Investor Day is this particular event where Disney gathers its assets and fellow production companies to discuss their current status and what’s ahead for the company either next year (2021) or in the foreseeable future. Now last year, Disney focused its Investor Day on its “Comprehensive Direct-to-Consumer Strategy”, giving presentations for Disney+, Hulu, Hotstar, ESPN+ and of course, they also discussed how Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic fit into their program at the time. That presentation lasted for about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This year, it is expected that they will follow suit to last year and discuss the future of Disney+ in a presentation that is expected to last a total of 4 hours. Deadline has also confirmed that they will announce “new projects from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar that will encompass TV as well as theatrical.”
Expect “Expansion”
We can expect Disney to shed some light on exactly how well the streaming platform did for its first year of service since debuting on November 12th last year. As of September of 2020, Disney+ had gained a net total of 73.7 million subscribers, and that number is before Disney+ was made available in Latin America, so we expect that number of subscribers to grow by the time the event rolls around tomorrow. Not only that, but we can also expect Disney+ to make some expansion announcements tomorrow, specifically to Southeast Asia. Twitter User @DrewsClues found this very interesting information, with Disney making a search in Southeast Asia, hiring personnel for Disney+ in Southeast Asia.
https://twitter.com/drewsclues/status/1335442360667426817?s=21
Expect some shifts from Disney’s theatrical slate.
We might see Disney officially confirm projects that were originally slated to release in theaters shift to Disney+. Some of those projects include the likes of Cruella, and the live-action remakes of Peter Pan and Pinocchio.
We may also hear announcements of possible Disney live-action remakes that may be making our way to the big screen soon, as well as possible announcements to future Disney+ original shows. Speaking of Disney+…
Expect more details on ‘premier access’
We all know of Disney’s experiment with Mulan and Premier Access from way back when in September and it seems the experiment really took off. Let’s take a look at what Bob Iger had to say regarding Premier Access during their Q4 2020 Earnings Results Webcast back in November:
Based off on what we’re reading, it seems that those ideas of Premier Access being a “one-off” are certainly untrue and that we can expect more titles to be released on Premier Access. However, I find it possible that Disney might consider reducing the price tag on the films they might release under their platform considering the reception Mulan received. Now, what titles could Disney release under the brand? There’s a number of potential candidates that could be released via this format as a way to compete with Warner’s decision to push their entire 2021 slate to HBO Max.
Expect the announcement of ‘Disney+ Star’
Joseph Aberl could probably tell you more about this project than I can but one of the most exciting parts of this upcoming Investor Day is the announcement of a new section in Disney+ called “Disney+ Star.” Now, Disney+ Star is rumored to essentially be a section of Disney+ that’s more focused on adult content and that it will require a pin code to access such content. We might see the addition of films from some of the companies Disney managed to purchase in recent years such as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, A&E, and more. To read more on that, feel free to check out Joseph’s article on Disney+ Star.
Expect announcements/trailers from Marvel Studios
As we mentioned earlier in the article, Deadline confirmed that we can expect announcements regarding new projects from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar that will encompass TV as well as theatrical. So let’s start with Marvel Studios. Right now, Marvel Studios has been extremely silent and rightfully so. It is the first time since 2009 that we go an entire year without a Marvel Studios production. The entire Phase 4 slate has seen a bit of mix up these past few months, with a lot of projects currently left up in the air without an official date. Now that the pandemic is starting to lift the pressure off studios and we see the light at the end of the tunnel, with the rollout of vaccines across the world, it might be a good time for Marvel to set some of its dates in stone.
1. We’ll see a new Phase 4 slate (Extremely Likely)
As of today, these are ALL of the projects Marvel Studios has OFFICIALLY announced, and before the pandemic, most of their production and premiere dates were all set in stone. But since the pandemic, a lot of these projects were forced to delay their releases, with no official dates in sight outside of WandaVision, which premieres on January 15th, and Black Widow which premieres in May. Notice how originally, Black Widow was meant to kick off Phase 4 but with the pandemic forcing its delay, it pushed WandaVision to the front of the line. We may expect to see some new dates set for these films and perhaps a slight shift here and there.
2. We’ll get our first looks at some of the upcoming Disney+ shows (Likely)
With WandaVision set to debut on January 15th, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Loki finally having completed filming, and the animated What If? show well into nonstop production since its announcement, 2021 is completely stacked in terms of Marvel Studios content for Disney+ shows. Now that nearly all of these projects are pretty much completed in production it might be a good time to present investors (and fans) with another trailer for the upcoming WandaVision show. We believe that Marvel has been setting up a sort of countdown in these past few days with some posters for WandaVision so be sure to check out that theory piece. It’ll also be a good time for Marvel to give us our first trailers for shows like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and the animated What If?. I also expect Feige to give us an update on shows like Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel, which just started production as well as the upcoming Moon Knight and She-Hulk series, starring Oscar Issac and Tatiana Maslany respectively.
3. We’ll get some more Disney+ series announcements (Likely)
Charles Murphy had taken up the task of creating an incredible article about what to expect from the future of the MCU and when to expect it, so do be sure to check that out! But back at the matter at hand, it is likely that Marvel might also take the time to announce some projects, some that we already know of like the Nick Fury Disney+ show. Marvel might also take the time to address some of the Disney+ rumors of characters that might join the MCU via these types of shows like Ironheart, S.W.O.R.D., Secret Warriors, and Ghost Rider.
4. We’ll get some more theatrical news (Unlikely)
If you’ve been paying attention to the news as of late, you might have noticed that multiple trades and blogs have been dropping Marvel news these past few months regarding the MCU films such as Kang the Conqueror being confirmed for Ant-Man 3, Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the massive bombshell that dropped yesterday regarding Spider-Man 3 with the castings of Alfred Molina, Andrew Garfield, Kirsten Dunst and the rumors of Tobey Maguire and Emma Stone joining the film for what seems to be a live-action iteration of the Spider-Verse. We’ve discussed the possibility of Marvel making the move to push Black Widow to a possible hybrid release both in theaters and Disney+ via its Premier Access service. AND not only that but Marvel has yet to address any details regarding films like Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, Blade, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Deadpool 3, and so on. Whether or not Kevin Feige takes the opportunity to announce any details regarding any of these projects remains to be seen, but I at least find it unlikely.
Expect announcements and details from Lucasfilm
Apart from Marvel Studios, we also expect Lucasfilm to announce some of its upcoming slate as well. They might tout some of the massive success that the second season of the Mandalorian has generated and will discuss what might be in store for the future of the show as well. Our very own João Pinto had also taken up the task of creating an incredible article about what to expect from the future of Star Wars and when to expect it, so do be sure to check that out! In there, we discuss A TON of goodies that Lucasfilm might discuss tomorrow. Among those are the series focused on Boba Fett, Cassian Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Bad Batch. We also might get the confirmation of series that have been rumored to be in development for some time, such as a show focused on Bo-Katan as well as a show around Ahsoka Tano. And of course, there is the possibility that Kathleen Kennedy might possibly discuss the future of the Star Wars films as well, so we’ll have to stay tuned for that one.
Expect announcements from Pixar
We are also expected to take a peek at what Pixar has been working on behind the scenes in terms of future animated films (and possibly even series). They may discuss the upcoming movie Soul, which is expected to be released on Disney+ this coming December 25th, as well as discussing their upcoming project, Luca.
Whatever happens tomorrow during Disney’s Investor Day, you can be sure that Murphy’s Multiverse will be sure to keep you all covered on all the announcements the event brings.
