Tag: disney+ (streaming service)

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Bob Iger: 2022’s Star Wars film is from Benioff and Weiss, third live-action TV show possible

As we suspected, the post-hiatus Star Wars films will be kicked off with something from Game of Thrones‘ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Bob Iger confirmed today. So now we know they’re handling at least the 2022 film, and… That’s about it. “…the next movie we release will be theirs,” the Disney CEO said at the MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit. “We’re not saying anything more about that.”

As for TV, Iger also said that there’s likely to be at least one more Star Wars series for Disney+, in addition to Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian (out in November) and Stephen Schiff’s Cassian Andor/K-2SO series (expected for 2020).

“My guess is there probably will be at least one more live-action series that we produce for Disney+, a Star Wars series, before we release the next film,” Iger said. “So we’re not doing nothing. I believe these TV series will be extremely popular for Star Wars fans and very very valuable to Disney+ while we gear up for the next set of films. We haven’t said anything more beyond what we’ve announced on the next film.”

As for the three-year hiatus following The Rise of Skywalker, it is in part to “figure out what’s next.”

“We’re hard at work doing that already,” he said. “Three years was the proper amount of time to not only take a breather and reset, but really gear up for the next film’s release.”

Maybe get some fresher voices in there? While I remain mildly intrigued with the concept of the Cassian show, The Mandalorian looks straight out of Dark Horse’s ’90s comic offerings, and the final season of Game of Thrones is not exactly out there covering itself in glory. I realize there’s a lot of gaps here (Rian Johnson, buddy?) and it’s still early, but I am not particularly optimistic about the state of on-screen Star Wars right now.

But hey, at least we’re getting Episode IX. Vanity Fair and Annie Leibovitz, we turn our weary eyes to you.

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Celebration sheds a little more light on The Mandalorian

Sure, The Mandalorian debuted footage here at Celebration Chicago on Sunday… But they haven’t actually released any of it elsewhere, not even the behind-the-scenes reel. There are a couple of stills and a basic plot breakdown.

The Mandalorian himself isn’t getting a name just yet, but we did learn that he’s working for Carl Weathers’ Greef Carga, who heads up a guild of bounty hunters. Gina Carano is playing Cara Dune, a former Rebel shock trooper, who gets in pulled in… Somehow. More over at StarWars.com.

Here’s the livestream, sans footage. It’s pretty much the Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau show, though Pedro Pascal is pretty hyped up about the whole thing:

For the record, I am never in favor of con-exclusive footage, but hey, if Lucasfilm and Disney would prefer to play whack-a-mole all over the internet with fuzzy subpar copies, that’s their business. Meanwhile, there are many recaps.

And here’s the cast on the live show stage later:

The first episode of the show will be on Disney+ at launch on November 12, and the current plan does seem to be a weekly release, which is a big relief (for me at least.)

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Disney+ launches in November; Alan Tudyk joins Cassian show

The Disney+ publicity push started in earnest today, with the monthly price ($6.99) and launch date (November 12 for the U.S./Canada) finally announced.

For Star Wars fans, there is at least one big surprise: All the films will be coming to the service within the first year, which is contrary to what was said previously. (Deals were made? Deals were made!) As for the original content, Alan Tudyk (K-2SO) is indeed joining the Cassian Andor live-action series, while Stephen Schiff (The Americans) was confirmed as the showrunner. It goes into production this year and will premiere in 2021.

There wasn’t much about The Mandalorian – they’re presumably saving all that for the panel here at Celebration on Sunday – but it will be up on the service at launch.

Though we did get a look at a prop here – there’s a speeder bike from the show on display in front of the StarWars.com stage:

As for the price, you can also buy an annual plan for $69.99, which comes out to $5.83 per month. For more details, head to Variety.

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The Clone Wars leaves Netflix next month

It’s for real this time. All of The Clone Wars – the movie, the first five seasons, and “The Lost Missions,” aka S6, is departing Netflix on April 7.

The series is all but certain to return to streaming when Disney+ launches – and though we still haven’t heard if the new episodes will be up there at launch, that seems like a pretty safe bet as well. Disney+ is expected to launch later this year.

As for the gap, well, that’s why they still make Blu-rays: Nothing on streaming is certain forever.

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Rumor: Could there be a third Star Wars TV show in the works?

Two Star Wars TV live-action shows have already been announced for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service: The Mandalorian (which apparently wrapped S1 filming around the same time as IX!) and a yet-untitled Cassian Andor show that will serve as a prequel to Rogue One. Today, Fantha Tracks reports evidence of a third show, which will film in the U.K. – unlike The Mandalorian, which filmed in southern California.

They say the show might be announced at April’s Celebration Chicago. That’s also about the time we expect our first look at The Mandalorian, given reports that Disney will be sharing a first look at Disney+ original content with investors on April 11 – which also happens to be the first day of the con, though panels aren’t expected to begin until the next day.

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Don’t expect Star Wars movies made for Disney+

Bob Iger talks a great deal about the development of Disney+ and the business in-and-outs of the service in an interview with Barron’s. For our purposes, the relevant bit here is that they’re not going to make a Star Wars movie for it:

Almost every movie the studio makes is a $100 million-plus movie, and we’re not looking to make movies at that level for the service. We’re looking to invest significantly in television series on a per-episode business, and we’re looking to make movies that are higher budget, but nothing like that. We wouldn’t make a Star Wars movie for this platform.

This is pretty much a no duh kind of thing – and yes, io9 did that headline first, damn them – but it may have been on people’s minds after Solo. Still, given the rumors we’ve heard about the standalone movies that were in play, they might be better suited for TV anyway. On that note, Iger on the thinking behind doing Star Wars TV for streaming:

I guess we could have made the Star Wars series for ABC if we wanted. But the budget and what we’re spending on it and the nature of the material suggested it would be a perfect anchor for the new service. Because it’s a priority for the company, that needs to be reflected in the trafficking or the direction of where a lot of content goes. There have to be some subjective decisions made on where stuff goes because we have to feed this new beast.

Barron’s being a business-oriented publication, there’s a lot of nitty gritty in the article, but it might shed some light on Disney’s recent decisions.

He also says that the Galaxy’s Edge section at Disneyland will open in June, which is a bit more specific than the previous “summer.”

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What to expect from Star Wars and Disney+

Now that the streaming service has a name, the marketing for Disney+ has really begun… Along with some inklings of how it will work.

Per Vulture’s Josef Adalian, Star Wars will be one of the “five central content hubs” for the service (along with classic Disney, Marvel, Pixar and National Geographic) so there won’t be much need for Netflix-style scrolling.

We also know that they’re aiming for the monthly price to be less than Netflix (cheapest plan: $7.99). Disney’s ESPN+ streaming service, which launched earlier this year, currently charges $4.99 a month. So I suspect we’ll be looking at something that’ll run fans $5-7 a month. (And maybe even some savings if bundled with an ESPN+ or Hulu subscription?)

But! The content. What’s coming for Star Wars? Here’s what we know for sure, some speculation about what else may be in play, and what we definitely won’t see.

Continue reading “What to expect from Star Wars and Disney+”

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Cassian Andor series coming to Disney’s streaming service (which now has a name)

A second Star Wars live action series is coming to the newly-named streaming service Disney+ – and it will star a familiar character, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from Rogue One.

The series, which will go into production next year, follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor. “Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me,” said Luna. “I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply.”

The “rousing spy thriller” doesn’t have a release date yet – just like The Mandalorian. Disney+ is expected to launch next year. A website for the service is now live, where fans can sign up to receive updates.

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George Lucas turns up on The Mandalorian set

Jon Favreau had a birthday visit (and some wine!) from George Lucas on the set of The Mandalorian today.

A later post shows the two with Dave Filoni, who worked with Lucas on The Clone Wars and is directing the first episode of The Mandalorian:

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Meanwhile, Making Star Wars has had their view altered… . At least briefly.