A massive weekend of announcements from Disney schedules hours of content for their streaming service, along with a raft of big-budget movies heading first to the cinema.
Walt Disney Studios announced a world of new movies and shows this weekend across their Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universes, and including Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios properties.
It means a very full schedule of content coming to their streaming service and theatres across the next 3 years, with the first shows landing at the end of this month. Here’s the abridged highlights:
LUCASFILM
ANDOR
A two-season, 24-episode spy thriller that features one of the central characters in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, starring Genevieve O’Reilly, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona and Cassian Andor himself, Diego Luna.
Set five years before the events of Rogue One—is filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero. Andor presents Star Wars from a different perspective, focusing on everyday people whose lives are affected by the Empire. The decisions they make have real consequences, and the stakes for them—and the galaxy—couldn’t be higher.
The first three episodes of season 1 premiere exclusively on Disney+ on September 21.
WILLOW
Starring original cast member Warwick Davis (Willow Ufgood) returning to Andowyne, joined by before being joined by series stars Joanne Whalley, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Ellie Bamber, Dempsey Bryk, Amar Chadha-Patel, Tony Revolori, and Christian Slater.
Set in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls and other mystical creatures flourish, Willow is the story of an unlikely group of heroes who set off on a dangerous quest, facing their inner demons and coming together to save their world.
An epic period fantasy told with a modern sensibility and plenty of humor, heart, energy and vibrancy, Willow begins streaming on Disney+ November 30.
STAR WARS: TALES OF THE JEDI
Producer Dave Filoni announced the six animated shorts featuring parables built around Jedi from the prequel era. Journey into the lives of two distinctly different Jedi—Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku—each will be put to the test as they make choices that will define their destinies.
All six shorts will debut October 26 on Disney+.
THE MANDALORIAN
The Mandalorian and Grogu have been reunited and continue their journey through the lawless galaxy, the latest season is set to launch exclusively on Disney+ in 2023.
Other titles announced or confirmed include:
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch season two (16 eps) – premieres with a double episode on January 4, 2023.
- Ahsoka – A new live-action series featuring Rosairo Dawson in the title role, coming in 2023.
- Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – an animated series that tells the story of four kids who find themselves lost in in the vastness of the galaxy trying to find their way home, featuring Jude Law, coming soon on Disney+.
- 5th film in the Indiana Jones franchise – starring Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, opens in cinemas June 29, 2023.
MARVEL STUDIOS
SECRET INVASION
Starring Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes, the series showcases a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years. Joining Cheadle are Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos—plus Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke and Kingsley Ben-Adir. The new series launches on Disney+ in 2023.
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Returning to the screen after another tragedy,the Wakandans fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The heroes must band together to forge a new path for the kingdom. The film stars Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, Alex Livinalli, and Martin Freeman.
The film hits the big screen on November 10 2022.
Other titles announced or confirmed include:
- Ironheart – a series taking place after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Dominique Thorne returns as Riri Williams, a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world. Her unique take on building iron suits is both brilliant and flawed, delving us into the dynamics of tech versus magic. The series lands on Disney+ in 2023.
- Werewolf By Night – premieres October 7 on Disney+
- Armor Wars – Cheadle returns as Warhammer, aend xpect all-new suits for the hero, featuring different types of armour.
- Loki season two – production currently underway, with Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and Ke Huy Quan, and picks up picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. It lands on Disney+ in 2023.
- Echo – stars Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Devery Jacobs, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning and Chaske Spencer, streaming soon on Disney+.
- Daredevil: Born Again (18 eps) – production commences in 2023.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – kicks off Phase Five in cinemas February 16, 2023.
- Fantastic Four – directed by WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman, the film opens in cinemas November 2024.
- Captain America New World Order – stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumby, Tim Blake Nelson, and Shira Haas, and hits cinemas May 2, 2024.
- Thunderbolts – stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, and Wyatt Russell. The film premieres in cinemas July 25, 2024.
- The Marvels – stars Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, and Brie Larson, and premieres in cinemas July 27 2023.
DISNEY LIVE ACTION
HOCUS POCUS 2
Returning stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are back after 29 years since the 17th-century sisters graced our screen, and they are back and looking for revenge. It’s up to three high-school students (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham) to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.
The movie also stars Sam Richardson, Tony Hale and Hannah Waddingham. It debuts exclusively on Disney+ September 30.
DISENCHANTED
Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays. Featuring music from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the musical comedy picks up 15 years after Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) get married when their family heads to suburbia in search of happily ever after.
The film streams on Disney+ beginning November 24 2022.
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, and offers a live-action adaptation of the classic Disney animated feature. Featuring fan-favorite songs plus four new songs penned by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the feature film also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as Triton. The film swims into cinemas in 2023.
Other titles announced or confirmed include:
- Peter Pan & Wendy – stars Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, and Jude Law. The new film dives deeper into Wendy’s story as she joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical journey to Neverland and reveals the history behind Peter Pan’s rivalry with one of Disney’s most memorable villains and kicks off on Disney+ in 2023.
- Haunted Mansion – stars Jamie Lee Curtis and releases in cinemas in 2023.
- Mufasa: The Lion King – the prequel film releases in 2024.
- Snow White – a live action reimagining of the Disney classic starring Gal Gadot, and Rachel Zegler premieres in cinemas 2024.
PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS
Titles announced or confirmed include:
- Win or Lose – follows the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode takes place that same week, highlighting the perspective of a different main character—players, their parents, the umpire—each reflected in a unique visual style. Stars Will Forte as Coach Dan in the series, and premieres on Disney+ in 2023.
- Elemental – in cinemas June 15 2023.
- Elio – in cinemas June 2024.
WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
Titles announced or confirmed include:
- Zootopia+ – the series heads back to the fast-paced mammal metropolis, diving deeper into the lives of some of the Oscar®-winning feature film’s most intriguing residents, and streams on Disney+ from November 9.
- Iwájú – a long-form series described as a “love letter to Lagos, Nigera”, and comes to Disney+ in 2023.
- Strange World – an incredible family who must get past their differences to save a strange world full of danger and surprises, and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, and Lucy Liu. The film opens in cinemas November 24, 2022.
- Wish – an epic animated musical is inspired by the legacy of films from the studio and asks the question: “How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?” The film is set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true, and premieres in 2023.
