Tag: TV

  • The Truth Is Out There: Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Revival Confirmed

    The Truth Is Out There: Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Revival Confirmed

    In March 2023, X-Files creator Chris Carter indicated that Black Panther franchise director Ryan Coogler was working to “remount” the sci-fi drama. “I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files’ with a diverse cast,” said Carter in an interview with Variety. “He’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory,” added Carter. Since that interview, word on the project has been kept locked up tightly in the basement office of the FBI but now, Bloomberg has confirmed the reboot is in the works.

    According to the site, Coogler, whose Proximity Media signed a 5-year overall deal with Disney in 2021, will produce the new version of the beloved series. The original series ran on Fox for nine seasons from 1993 to 2002 before two additional seasons ran in 2016 and 2018. Two films, The X-Files and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, were also produced.

    What ties, if any, the new series will have to the original, is unknown. Carter’s Fox series developed a deep and sprawling mythology in a world of unimaginably vast conspiracies…which sounds an awful lot like modern times.

    Source: Bloomberg

  • The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

    The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

    Bob Iger‘s return to Disney and a pair of strikes have rendered nearly everything we once thought we knew irrelevant. Movies once slated for 2023 or 2024 have been moved to 2025 and the domino effect has probably only just begun. With so much having changed since last we ventured into the waters of the hypothetical calendar, it’s high time to relaunch them anew…and adifferent.

    January 8th-March 5th: Daredevil: Born Again, Episodes 1-9

    Following a major creative overhaul, the first episodes of Daredevil: Born Again–which were originally slated to debut in the Spring of 2024–are now TENTATIVELY on track to drop in January 2025. Though they didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water, it sounds like showrunner Dario Scardapane and new directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are going to take their time and make sure the MCU’s first Daredevil project does the character justice and given Bob Iger‘s demands that the projects live up to the high standards previously set for Marvel Studios, that might mean this gets pushed even further. We’ll know more shortly after the first of the year as we’ve recently heard that production is meant to get underway in January.

    February 14th: Captain America: Brave New World

    Reports of significant reshoots on Cap 4 lined up with Disney’s decision to move the film into 2025. Those reports suggested that the film will undergo roughly 5 months of additional photography which is a longer period of time than the film was in production for the first time around. Now, the studio has brought on a brand new writer in Matthew Orton and though they are targeting a mid-2024 restart, production will not resume until his work on the script is done. Throw in the amount of time it’ll take to make the VFX hold up–especially with an appearance by the Red Hulk in the cards–and the February 2025 date makes all the sense in the world.

    May 2nd: Fantastic Four

    Fantastic Four was announced at SDCC ’19 and two long work stoppages have kept pushing it further and further down the road though it’s continually in the news cycle. At this point, all anyone wants is for the casting rumors around this project to come to an end and for cameras to roll. According to a relatively recent interview with director Matt Shakman, production should get underway next Spring and be ready to serve as the studio’s tentpole film for 2025 and launch the summer movie season…just as it should.

    June 27th: Spider-Man 4

    No project on this hypothetical calendar is more hypothetical than this one. If all the rumors are true, its release is partially dependent on Daredevil: Born Again–and that’s IF the creative threads that originally tied the two projects together stay in the series with the new showrunner taking over. Throw in that there’s been no official announcement from Sony about this project and that Tom Holland‘s “new deal” hasn’t been officially announced either and you’ve got even more reason to think this one may not happen in 2025 at all. However, a script has been in the works for most of the year, Sony has this date on the calendar for a Marvel film and, at the moment, doesn’t have any other projects that seem to fit the date. On the other hand, rumors persist that Jon Watts may be on board to direct and plans are being made to film next summer…

    July 25th: Thunderbolts

    By the time production finally starts on this project, the entire plot will have been leaked online. Despite multiple creative retoolings and a revolving door of writers, Thunderbolts is ultimately only delayed by a year from its original July 26, 2024 release date. Production is currently set to get underway in the spring with a TENTATIVE April start on the books.

    September 3rd-October 8th: Ironheart

    A project that has been in the can for quite some time, Ironheart is on track to release 2 full years after it was originally slated to hit Disney Plus. It’ll be interesting to see if Disney ever addresses exactly why this series took so long to release (not even VFX touch-ups and reshoots can explain away a 2-year move), especially when the footage shown at 2022’s D23 looked pretty fun.

    November 7th: Blade

    Mahershala Ali has the patience of a saint. Ali is the driving force behind this project which, like Fantastic Four, was announced over 4 years ago, and is staying the course despite several changes to the creative team over the past year or so and the delays due to the strikes. As of now, Blade looks like it’ll actually start production in the second half of 2024 and be ready for theaters, complete with an R-rating, by November 2025!

    All in all, this is a major revamp from the last time we rolled out a hypothetical 2025 calendar. With things at Disney never having been in flux more than they are now, it’ll be fun to see just how much of this holds true.

  • REVIEW: Season 2 of ‘Reacher’ is a Triumphant Throwback

    REVIEW: Season 2 of ‘Reacher’ is a Triumphant Throwback

    *NOTE: This spoiler-free review covers Episodes 1-3 of Season 2 of Reacher. All 3 episodes debut on December 15th.*

    Alan Ritchson has found his home. After trying his hand as a pair of superheroes and voicing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, the mammoth Ritchson has found a character he nearly perfectly embodies in Jack Reacher. Based on the works of author Lee Child, Reacher follows Ritchson’s nomadic military police investigator who dispenses equal parts brains and brawn as an “avenging angel.” The 8-episode first season of Reacher was incredibly well-received by critics and audiences alike in early 2022 and the new season, adapted from Child’s 2007 novel, Bad Luck and Trouble, doubles down on everything that made Season 1 such as a hit with dads all over the globe.

    Like Season 1, Reacher Season 2 makes a strong statement as an intentional antithesis to modern action franchises. Neither hyper-stylized like The World of John Wick nor full of adrenalized stunts like the Mission: Impossible series, Reacher is undeviating in the pursuit of purpose and predictably principled. Nothing about Reacher requires the audience to pay particularly close attention to detail, the villains are neither subtle nor nuances and both the series and the title character work methodically and joyfully through whatever impediments are introduced to solve the problem at hand. To that end, Ritchson gets to flex his mental muscle as well; despite his bullish physique and demeanor, Reacher is always the smartest guy in the room. Reacher presents a wonderfully full-bodied bouquet with hints of 80’s action films such as Commando and Cobra upfront with a tight, underlying structure of Columbo.

    While Emmy-nominated showrunner Nick Santora was smart enough to veer too far from the formula that made Season 1 such a hit, the choice to adapt Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in Childs’ series, does add a little more to the show in terms of a stronger supporting cast and to Ritchson‘s Reacher by humanizing him a bit more. The season opens with Maria Sten’s Neagley, who played a solid supporting role in Season 1 as one of the only characters to have a shared history with Reacher, contacting her old boss with some bad news: one of their old Army buddies was tortured and dropped from a helicopter. Their investigation quickly leads them to conclude that a bad man is out to get the members of Reacher’s old Army MP Unit: the Special Investigators of the 110th. As Reacher and Neagley track down the other members of their old unit, they continue to uncover clues that lead them down the road to a much bigger mystery.

    Serinda Swan (Inhumans, Coroner), who plays the saucy Karla Dixon, and Shaun Sipos (Krypton, Outer Range), whose wise ass David O’Donnell serves as a wonderful foil to Reacher’s straight-man routine, work well as newbies whose connections with Reacher allow the audience to get to know the tough guy a little more. Teamwork makes the dream work and Reacher’s team of Special Investigators help transmute their old boss into something more than just a rageful ronin who is all-too-happy to rid the world of wrongdoers. In this case, that wrongdoer is Shane Langston, a character seemingly pulled directly from a late 20th-century action movie, whose commitment to corruption has put him on a collision course with the unstoppable, American knight errant. And to make Langston feel authentic last century, the series cast Robert Patrick, the face of one of the 90s greatest villains, in the role…and then dropped a T2 reference in case you missed it.

    Season 2 of Reacher smartly hold on to the recipe that made the first season a wide-ranging success while adding just the right amount of accouterments to make it feel like a truly new chapter. Ritchson leans even harder into his portrayal of the stoical character yet maintains enough charm to elicit a few laughs in between the beatings. An unabashed ode to 20th-century action films and the tough guys that inhabited them, Reacher Season 2 is a triumphant throwback.

    About Reacher Season 2

    Reacher Season Two begins when veteran military police investigator Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) receives a coded message that the members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one. Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and that brings about questions of who has betrayed them—and who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If there’s one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, it’s
    that you do not mess with the Special Investigators. This season, get ready for Reacher and the 110th to hit back hard.

    Based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in Lee Child’s global best-selling series, Reacher Season Two stars Alan Ritchson in the title role of Jack Reacher, with Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos as key members of the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit. Rounding out the cast are Ferdinand Kingsley as A.M., a mercenary that homeland security refers to as a “ghost;” Robert Patrick as Shane Langston, head of security for a private defense contractor with a questionable track record; and Domenick Lombardozzi as tough NYPD detective Guy Russo.

    Reacher is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, and Paramount Television Studios. Based on the novels by Lee Child, who serves as an executive producer, the series is written for television by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora (Scorpion, Prison Break), who also executive produces and serves as showrunner. In addition to Santora and Child, the series is executive produced by Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, and Adam Higgs, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost for Skydance.

  • Marvel Releases Episode Descriptions for Two Episodes of ‘What If…?’ S2

    Marvel Releases Episode Descriptions for Two Episodes of ‘What If…?’ S2

    Marvel Studios held a press event for Season 2 of What If…? at the Walt Disney Studio Lot last night and screened two episodes of the animated multiverse adventure. Marvel Studios head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, writer and executive producer AC Bradley, director and executive producer Bryan Andrews and writer Matthew Chauncey were on hand for the event in which press viewed the first and third episodes of the new season before participating in a question and answer session. Following the event, Disney released some new information about each episode.

    Season 2, Episode 1: “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”

    Nebula in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    In a world where Ronan deposes Thanos long before the events of “Infinity War,” Nebula is recruited to join the Nova Corps. Desperate to escape her father’s shadow, she sets out to prove her detective chops.

    Season 2, Episode 3: “What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?”

    A scene from Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    When Justin Hammer lays siege to Avengers Tower during the annual holiday party, there’s only one person left on site to stop him—Happy Hogan. But in setting out to prove his hero chops, Iron Man’s errand boy may end up transforming himself in more ways than one.

    While Marvel debuted only 2 episodes, a list of episode titles for the rest of the series has leaked. Among the many interesting ideas rumored to be explored in the second season is one based on a Marvel Comics series written by Neil Gaiman that’s set in 1602.

    Disney is rolling out one episode of the series a day beginning on December 22nd. With just ten days before the first episode debuts on Disney Plus, there’s still time to work your way through The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of What If…?!

    About What If…? Season 2

    The Watcher returns to season two of Marvel Studios’ What If…? when the animated series
    begins streaming on Disney+ on Dec. 22. And in the spirit of the holiday season, fans are
    invited to unwrap a new episode nightly for nine nights.

    With a new episode debuting nightly beginning December 22, season two of What If…? continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Featuring fan-favorite characters this season like Nebula, Hela and Happy Hogan, episodes are directed by Bryan Andrews (eps 2-9) and Stephan Franck (ep 1) and written by AC Bradley (eps 3, 4, 5, 8), Matthew Chauncey (eps 1-3, 7, 9) and Ryan Little (eps 6, 8). The animated series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Bryan Andrews and AC Bradley. Available press

  • Marvel Studios New Animated Spider-Man Series Gets a New Title; Confirmed for 2024 Release

    Marvel Studios New Animated Spider-Man Series Gets a New Title; Confirmed for 2024 Release

    Following a screening of two episodes of Season 2 of What If…?, Marvel Studios head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, gave an update on the studio’s animated projects. In addition to revealing Eyes of Wakanda for the first time, Winderbaum revealed that the studio’s upcoming Spider-Man animated series now has an all-new, all-different title and remains on track for a 2024 release.

    First announced as Spider-Man: Freshman Year on November 12th, 2021 on Disney Plus Day, the animated series will now be titled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The development of the series has always been interesting as it was originally described as a story that would follow “Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU.” However, in 2022, Winderbaum clarified that the series is set elsewhere in the multiverse and not on the Sacred Timeline.

    It follows the pattern that you see in [Captain America:Civil War. Down to Peter getting the broken Blu-ray player from the trash and he walks into his department for the famous moment where Tony Stark is waiting for him to offer him the stark internship and take him to Berlin. But because of things that happen in the multiverse because of new, random occurrences, it’s not Tony Stark who’s waiting for him there. It’s Norman Osborn and that sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe

    Brad Winderbaum

    As of SDCC ’22, the new series was set to feature a slew of MCU supporting characters such as Doctor Strange and Matt Murdock, voiced by Charlie Cox, as well as characters who have yet to debut in the MCU such as Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru and Amadeus Cho. It was also revealed that it would feature multiple villains from Spidey’s Rogues Gallery including Unicorn, Chamelon, Scorpion, Speed Demon, Tarantula, Rhino, and Doc Ock as well as Norman Osborn. As of the latest update, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was rumored to be released on November 2nd, 2024.

    About Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    Peter Parker’s life, while getting ready for his High School orientation, is forever changed by events that send him on a journey like none before. In the first episode, we discover that the new era of Spider-Man begins here!

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will feature the voices of Hudson Thames as Peter Parker, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May and Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn

    Jeff Trammell served as the head writer and executive producer.

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’: Marvel Studios Announces New Animated Series

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’: Marvel Studios Announces New Animated Series

    In March 2023, rumors began to swirl that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media production company had begun developing an animated series for Marvel Studios. As Marvel Studios revamped their streaming slate and skipped out on SDCC ’23, the series, said at the time to be referred to as The Golden City, remained nothing but a rumor until now. During a press event for Season 2 of What If…? held at the Walt Disney Studios Lot, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the new series will hit Disney Plus in 2024.

    Titled Eyes of Wakanda, the animated series will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.

    One of the rarest metals on the planet, Vibranium came to Earth 2.5 million ago as a series of meteorites crashed into Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Wakandans mined the Great Mound and learned to refine the precious metal which quickly allowed them to become the most technologically advanced civilization on the planet. Though they worked hard to keep the Vibranium a secret, artifacts have made their way outside the isolationist nation. Captain America’s shield, created by Howard Stark, was made of Vibranium that a group of researchers from Stark Industries located in Africa; aided by N’Jobu, Ulysses Klaue stole a quarter ton of the substance in 1992; and, as seen in Black Panther, a Vibranium Wakandan warhammer was on display in the Museum of Great Britain until it was taken by N’Jadaka.

    Given the enormous period of time available for storytelling, Coogler’s Proximity Media has the opportunity to explore some previously unexplored eras of the MCU’s timeline, though no indication has been given at this time Eyes of Wakanda will be considered canon. As of now, no release date has been given by Disney.

  • EP Kevin Wright Shares His Hopes for the Future of ‘Loki’

    EP Kevin Wright Shares His Hopes for the Future of ‘Loki’

    Marvel Studios Loki stands out among the MCU streaming series as having delivered high-quality episodes consistently. The Season 2 finale did a fine job of wrapping up both the sophomore season and the longform narrative that kicked off in 2021. If no further Loki stories were to be told, though it would be a shame, the character–and those who worked as supporting characters over two seasons–were well served. However, star Tom Hiddleston has made it clear that he hadn’t entirely closed the door and now Kevin Wright, who worked as an executive producer on Season 2, has made it clear that the studios is open to more stories being told in that corner of the universe.

    For two seasons, I’ve loved working with this team… I would love to keep telling those stories with them, in this world,” Wright told TVLine. “I don’t think any of us would ever want to rush into a Season 3 if there’s not a good story to tell. But I think this team could go off and tell other stories. Maybe it’s not Loki Season 3. Maybe there’s something we can continue to do at the TVA, and it’s like our Better Call Saul to Loki‘s Breaking Bad. That would be cool, to me.”

    (L-R): Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Owen Wilson as Mobius, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Eugene Cordero as Casey, and Ke Huy Quan as O.B. in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

    The notion that more stories could be told through the lens of the TVA and its various interesting characters seems to fit with Marvel Studios new creative strategy to produce multiple seasons of serialized streaming series. Wright was quick to clarify, however, that his comments aren’t an indication of what is happening, only what he would like to see happen. “I don’t know the future of these characters in the MCU,” Wright explained, adding it’s only him saying when he “would love to do.”

    Given the very unique nature of the TVA, it would seem logical that it’s very fetrile creative ground. Add to that the fact that Loki has been among the studio’s most roundly praised shows and it does seem as though there might be some more stories to be told. “I have to think, with how people have really enjoyed this story,” he continues, “that other filmmakers are going to want to come in and continue to tell stories [in this world]. That would be my hope.” And that’s a hope shared by many who would love to see further adventures in the very strange sci-fi world Marvel Studios has built at the TVA.

    Source: TV Line

  • The Skinny on Marvel Studios ‘Nomad’

    The Skinny on Marvel Studios ‘Nomad’

    It’s been almost three years since we uncovered evidence that Marvel Studios was developing a Nomad project. Following that discovery, COVID continued to impact production for quite a while and by the time Marvel Studios got back to SDCC in June of 2022, there had been no public acknowledgement of a Nomad project.

    Months ago, several of the trademarks that were filed for “Marvel Studios Nomad” turned up as “dead” and recently those “dead trademarks” made the rounds on social media and message boards. Between those dead trademarks and the lack of any sort of announcement by Marvel Studios, the general consensus seemed to be that the Nomad project was dead. Now it looks like it may only be mostly dead which is, as Miracle Max taught us, slightly alive.

    When Marvel Studios trademarks upcoming projects, they file multiple different trademarks. Some are for toys, some are for clothing, some are for cups and other types of merchandise; however, they also file one for “entertainment services” which essentially indicate they are making either a film or TV series.

    Entertainment services, namely, the development, creation, production, and distribution of digital multimedia and audio and visual content, namely, motion picture films, television programs, and multimedia entertainment and educational content; development, creation, production, distribution, and rental of audio and visual recordings; production of entertainment shows and interactive programs for distribution via audio and visual media, audio and video streaming, and electronic means; production and provision of motion pictures, entertainment news and entertainment information via electronic communication networks and audio and video streaming; providing online computer games; providing websites featuring a wide variety of general interest entertainment information relating to motion picture films, television programs, musical videos, film clips, photographs, and other multimedia materials; entertainment services, namely, providing online non-downloadable comic books and graphic novels; amusement park and theme park services; educational and entertainment services rendered in or relating to theme parks, namely, live stage shows, live amusement park shows, live performances by costumed characters, and production and presentation of live theatrical performances; production and presentation of live shows; theater productions; entertainer services, namely, live appearances by a professional entertainer

    As with everything else they make, Marvel Studios filed one of these for Nomad and while they’ve let all the other trademarks die, this one remains alive and well. In fact, the studio has taken measures to extend the trademark on several occasions including recently.

    What does this mean for the development of the project? Ultimately it may well mean nothing. Bob Iger‘s return to Disney in combination with a pair of major strikes have further slowed development of several of Marvel Studios announced projects. Given that Nomad has never been officially been acknowledged as a future MCU project, it could easily go by the wayside as part of the studio’s renewed commitment to quality over quantity.

    There are no firm details on what the project might even be about which means there’s no way to know if it was ever integral to the Multiverse Saga to begin with. At the end of the day, the existence of the trademark provides no assurance that any Nomad project will ever hit any screen, big or small; however, it does still have a pulse so don’t bury it just yet.

  • Season 2 of Lucasfilm’s Best Reviewed Live-Action Star Wars Series Looks to Be Delayed Until 2025

    Season 2 of Lucasfilm’s Best Reviewed Live-Action Star Wars Series Looks to Be Delayed Until 2025

    2023 was a full year for Star Wars fans. The third season of The Mandalorian delivered some killer episodes and left a power vacuum set to be filled by the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn as teased in the season finale of Ahsoka. A trio of animated series also hit Disney Plus with Tales of the Jedi joining the second seasons of The Bad Batch and Visions. Rumors had Lucasfilm increasing the volume of Star Wars projects in 2024 but an official preview of the studio’s Disney Plus slate listed only two projects set for release…and neither of them was the second season of one of the most beloved live-action projects yet.

    Andor took Star Wars fandom by storm when it debuted in 2022. Creator Tony Gilroy carefully crafted the first season of the Rogue One prequel to be the antithesis of Disney+’s other, popular live-action Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Rather than loading Andor with fan-favorite character cameos, Gilroy set up shop in a grimy corner of the universe inhabited by a plethora of brand-new characters. Akin to Game of Thrones, each of these new characters had their parts to play in the first twelve episodes of Andor. So dedicated to developing this corner was Gilroy that he often pushed Diego Luna’s title character to the periphery of the story to provide room for gems like Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael to have their stories told as well. However, the season finale put Cassian on track to where he needs to be to help save the galaxy far, far away in Rogue One.

    Coming out of Star Wars Celebration 2023, it seemed Andor was on track to debut sometime late in the Summer of 2024; however, with Disney UK’s 2024 Disney+ preview only listing The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew as streaming releases, it now seems fans may be waiting until 2025 to catch the second season of Andor.

    While production on Season 2 of Andor was paused due to the WGA and SAG strikes, it was believed there were only a few weeks left of filming to be done, so it’s unlikely that’s the major driving factor behind the apparent move to 2025. It’s more likely that Andor is in a line of falling dominos related to Bob Iger’s return to Disney and his mandate that their biggest studios have a renewed focus on the quality of their streaming efforts. With Skeleton Crew moving into 2024 from an expected 2023 release, it seems there’s simply no room on the slate for a third live-action series and so Andor falls into 2025.

    About Andor

    The Andor series explores a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It is an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.

    The series is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It rewinds back five years from the events of Rogue One to follow Cassian Andor on his journey to get to the movie. We’ve
    done twelve episodes for the first season. The twelve episodes that we’ve done cover one year in time. We’re going to do another twelve that are going to take us over
    the next four years into Rogue One.

    Tony Gilroy on Season 1 of Andor

    Diego Luna (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Narcos: Mexico) returns as Cassian Andor, and Genevieve O’Reilly returns to her role of Mon Mothma. O’Reilly has a history with Star Wars, having first appeared in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and then Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as voicing the character in Star Wars Rebels. They are joined by Stellan Skarsgård (Dune, Chernobyl), Adria Arjona (Morbius, Father of
    the Bride
    ), Denise Gough (Under the Banner of Heaven, Too Close), Kyle Soller (Poldark, Brexit), Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve, Baptiste) and Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones, Deep Water).

    The creator and showrunner for the series is Academy Award® and BAFTA-nominated
    writer/director/producer Tony Gilroy, who also wrote Episodes 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12. Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed feature films Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy and wrote the first three Bourne Films: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

  • Lucasfilm Leaves a Pair of Animated Series Off of Their 2024 Disney Plus Slate

    Lucasfilm Leaves a Pair of Animated Series Off of Their 2024 Disney Plus Slate

    Since Bob Iger returned to Disney in late 2022, the studio has made some changes to the way it manages Disney Plus. A renewed emphasis has been placed on the quality of the productions being rolled out on the streaming service and in 2024 that will mean fewer projects for some of Disney’s biggest studios. For Lucasfilm, which produces live-action and animated projects for the service, that means two highly anticipated series were left off the initial 2024 release slate.

    As it stands now, Lucasfilm will only roll out two live-action Star Wars projects next year (The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew) which means two animated projects, the third and final season of The Bad Batch and the second season of Tales of the Jedi, look to be delayed until 2025.

    The first 16 episodes of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff, The Bad Batch, debuted on Disney Plus on Star Wars Day 2021 and were followed by a 16-episode second season in January 2022. Tales of the Jedi, a 6-episode anthological series, was rolled out in October 2022. Both series were created by Lucasfilm’s new Creative Grand Admiral, Dave Filoni, who is also the key creative figure behind the studio’s New Republic Era stories such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.

    Rumors had been making the rounds that new seasons of both series would find their way to Disney Plus in 2024; however, neither were to be found on Disney UK’s official 2024 preview of the streaming service. Given the constant state of flux in programming, it’s still entirely possible one or both of the series end up released at some point in 2024 though, for the time being, it looks like they are simply not part of the plan.

    About Star Wars: The Bad Batch

    Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch—a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army— each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable
    crew.

    Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance), Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) and Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) with Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: Visions) and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) as producers. Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer and Matt Michnovetz as story editor.

    About Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

    Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is an anthology of six all-new animated shorts produced by Lucasfilm Animation and created by Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels). Based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas, the series is set during the prequel era and spotlights important moments in the lives of fan-favorite characters Ahsoka Tano and Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku as they embark on respective paths toward heroism and villainy. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi features the voices of Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano; Corey Burton as Count Dooku; Janina Gavankar as Ahsoka’s mother, Pav-ti; Micheál Richardson as young Qui-Gon Jinn; TC Carson as Mace Windu; Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious; Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn; Phil
    Lamarr as Bail Organa; Clancy Brown as Inq

    Dave Filoni is the creator, supervising director, executive producer, and writer of five of the six shorts: “Life and Death”; “Justice”; “The Sith Lord”; “Practice Makes Perfect”; and “Resolve.” Charles Murray and Élan Murray are the writers of “Choices.” Nathaniel Villanueva directs “Life and Death”; Charles Murray directs “Choices”; Saul Ruiz directs “Justice”; “The Sith Lord”; “Practice Makes Perfect”; and “Resolve.” In addition to Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo and Carrie Beck are executive producers; Alex Spotswood and Josh Rimes are producers.

    Source: Disney UK