Yesterday’s Disney Investor Day presentation was a true marathon. Running over 4 hours, it played more like a weekend’s worth of D23 Expo announcements crammed into a single, somewhat awkwardly staged “virtual” show-and-tell. Nearly every section of the constantly expanding Disney empire was represented, from Marvel Studios to National Geographic (which Disney absorbed as part of the Fox purchase), who trotted out their most jaw-dropping upcoming projects, in an effort to stabilize the Disney stock prince and convince outside investors that things aren’t just okay, they’re downrightmagical. Using a winning combination of original properties and preexisting IP, various executives made sure to note not only the projects being developed for linear channels but just how important Disney+ is – now and going forward.
The resulting presentation was nimble and frequently surprising, full of some of the most beloved characters and biggest titles in the library alongside audacious new projects that only Disney could pull off. And if you didn’t see it, the resulting avalanche of news was definitely overwhelming. So we handily put together a list of the 10 biggest things we learned from the Disney Investor Day presentation, in all their glittery glory.
There Are a Ton of New Marvel and Star Wars Shows Coming
While the beginning of the presentation promised 15 newStar WarsDisney+ series and 15 Marvel series coming in the next few years, we really weren’t prepared for how much would be shared during the investor presentation. Let’sstart withStar Wars– first and foremost there are a pair ofThe Mandalorianspin-offs,AhsokaandRangers of the New Republic(the three shows will interact and crossover, much as you’d expect, and we’ve already started a petition to haveTimothy Olyphantas one of the titular Rangers). Additionally, we got new details onAndor, the official title for the Rogue One spin-off series centered aroundDiego Luna; andObi-Wan Kenobi, the official name for the series centered aroundEwan McGregor’s interpretation of the character, set after the prequels (more on that in a minute). Also we sawfootage fromThe Bad Batch, the new animated spin-off ofThe Clone Warsfrom creatorDave Filoni. There’s alsoThe Acolyte, the official name of the female-ledStar Warsseries fromRussian DollcreatorLeslye Headland, which is set in the “High Republic” area of the franchise which is about to introduced in a series of novels and comic books andLando, a new series being developed byDear White PeoplecreatorJustin Simien(they notably did not mention Donald Glover’s involvement so TBD on that one), an anime seriesVisionsandA Droid Story, which will introduce a new robotic hero alongside favorites R2-D2 and C-3PO. (We’re guessing it could be an animated movie from Industrial Light & Magic.)Whew.
Onthe Marvel side of things, we got our first good look atWandaVision(coming next month),The Falcon and the Winter Soldier(coming in March 2021) andLoki(coming in May 2021). We also got confirmation thatHailee Steinfeldwill indeed be playing Kate Biship inHawkeye(coming late 2021) and a neat teaser for the first-ever Marvel Studiosanimated seriesWhat If…?(including much of the same footage they showed at Comic Con a couple of years ago). And there were announcements for brand-new series, includingIronheartstarringDominique Thorneas Riri Williams, a kind of mini-Tony Stark;Armor Wars, starringDon Cheadleas his MCU character War Machine and following what happens when Tony’s tech winds up in the hands of baddies;Secret Invasion, starringSamuel L. Jacksonas Nick Fury andBen Mendelsohnas Talos; a series of shorts starring everyone’s favorite talking tree calledI Am Groot; andThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, written and directed byJames Gunn, which will be released on the Christmas (2022) before the new movie (2023). There were also updates onMoon Knight(it’s coming!);She-Hulk(Tatiana Maslanywill play the title roleandTim Rothwill be returning fromThe Incredible Hulk, alongsideMark Ruffaloas Hulk); andMs. Marvel(Iman Vellaniin the title rolelooksperfect). Like we said: it’sa lot.
Hayden Christiansen Is Back as Darth Vader
Yep,Hayden Christiansen, who played Anakin Skywalker in two of theStar Warsprequels,will return for the forthcomingObi-Wan KenobiDisney+ limited series as Darth Vader. This is not only a huge deal for fans of the franchise, but it signals a big step for Christiansen, who up until recently wouldn’t participate in conventions like the officially sanctioned Star Wars Celebration or talk much about his time in a galaxy far, far away. We say good for you Christian! And welcome back. We’re excited to see what else you do with the character.
Patty Jenkins Will Direct the Next Star Wars Movie
You might have assumed that the previously announcedTaika Waititi-directed Star Wars movie would be the next one to hit theaters. But you’d be wrong. It turns outWonder Woman 1984filmmakerPatty Jenkinshas been secretly developing aproject calledRogue Squadron, based around the fabled X-wing pilots. The film, which we don’t know much about, willhit theaters on July 12, 2025. Fasten your seatbelts.
Raya and the Last DragonWill Be the Next Disney+ Premier Access Event
Earlier this year, a minor firestorm of controversy and intrigue erupted when Disney chose to debut their lavish live-action remake ofMulanon Disney+ … with a catch. It was released under their “Premier Access” banner, which meant that you could access the film with an additional $30 charge (it just went on the service this past weekend for free). Disney will be doing the same thing again, for another Asian princess – the star of their upcoming animated featureRaya and the Last Dragon, which will bein theaters and on Disney+(via Premier Access) on March 6. Given how foggy direct-to-consumer numbers are, it’s unclear ifMulanwas a hit or if this is just another experiment. But the fact that, during the Q&A portion of the Investor Call, one of the big investors asked about the strategy, the questions surrounding Premier Access haven’t exactly disappeared in a puff of pixie dust.
Your Disney Animated Favorites Will Return in New Series on Disney+
Yesterday, it was a revealed that a number of your favorite animated characters will return on Disney+. Walt Disney Animation Studios announced short-form seriesBaymax!(based on the marshmallow-y robot star ofBig Hero 6) fromRayadirectorDon HallandZootopia+, fromTrent CorreyandJosie Trinidad, which will place an irreverent spin on a number of television show formats (both are due in 2022). There’s alsoMoanaandTiana, based on the characterfromThe Princess and the Frog, which will be “long form” series (probably around a half-hour).Tianawill be out in 2022 andMoanain 2023. Little else is known about the new series but we are very excited. Meanwhile, on the Pixar side of things, the talkative dog fromUpwill get hisown short seriesDug Days(!), as will the Cars characters, and even more Pixar characters fromToy Story,SoulandFinding Dorywill take center stage in “mini shorts” under thePixar Popcorn umbrella.
Chris Evans Is the New Buzz Lightyear
Yes, you read that right. Pixar is producing a new film tangentially related to theToy Storyuniverse.It’s calledLightyearand it’s a kinetic, out-of-this-world space adventure directed byAngus MacLane(who directed one of theToy Storyshorts and the half-hour Halloween specialToy Story of Terror). This time around, Buzz Lightyear will be played by world’s most handsome gentlemanChris Evans. Imagine this as the epic movie that the original Buzz Lightyear film was based off of. It sounds very exciting and totally cool. And before you start freaking out, Evans has alreadyreached out on social media to explainhow his character is different from the classic Buzz.
Hocus Pocus 2,Disenchanted, andSister Act 3Are All A Go for Disney+
Several long-rumored and probably longer-in-development sequels,Hocus Pocus 2,Disenchanted(a sequel toEnchanted) andSister Act 3are all a go for Disney+.Amy Adamswill return forDisenchantedandWhoopi Goldbergwill be back in the habit for Sister Act 3, but they stopped short from announcingBette Midler,Kathy NajimyandSarah Jessica Parkerwill be back forHocus Pocus 2. (We imagine that their deals just haven’t been totally ironed out yet.) So far the Disney+ original films haven’t relied that heavily on preexisting IP, but these sequels should put a lot of gas in the tank for that area of programming and are all sequels that fans have been dying for. (An animatedNight at the Museumsequel, multiculturalCheaper by the Dozenremake and haphazardly animatedIce Agespinoff film were also announced, although it’s hard to drum up much excitement.) Plot details for these follow-ups are currently under wraps.
Marvel Studios TV Shows and Movies Will Be Truly Interconnected
One of the things that was really stressed during the presentation was just how interconnected the Marvel Studios television shows and movies will really be. We already knew thatWandaVisionwould somehow tie intoDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness(it’ll costarElizabeth Olsenand be out in 2022). But now we also know that Ms. Marvel herselfIman Vellani will appear inCaptain Marvel 2on July 20, 2025, alongsideTeyonah Parrisas the grown version of Monica Rambeau (the character will first appear inWandaVisionnext month). Other MCU characters were teased to appear onShe-Hulkand it’s hard to believe that the events ofSecret Invasion, which depicts a clandestine Skrull infiltration, won’t have ramifications on the cinematic side of the Marvel Studios’ universe. In other words: to get the most out of the upcoming Marvel slate, you’re going to have to watcheverything.
That Noah Hawley ‘Alien’ Show Is Totally Real (And Set on Earth)
Another project that was rumored but without any concrete evidence of it actually existing is now a truly real thing. Beloved science fiction franchiseAlienis returning, via a TV show on FX.Noah Hawley, the wacky genius behind such series asFargoandLegion, is in charge alongsideRidley Scott. (Hopefully Scott made them agree to do a thirdPrometheusmovie in exchange.) The only detail we know is that the series takes place on Earth, something that had been teased in the series’ past (the original trailer forAlien 3had the incredible tagline “On Earth, everyone can hear you scream”) and within the context of the deeply terribleAlien vs. Predatorfilms. This seems like a great approach to combine the creative might of FX and the deep well of IP that Fox had into one unstoppable force, and we can’t wait to see what else gets born (chest-burst?) out of arrangements like this.
Disney+ Will Soon Cost $1 More
The price for Disney+ will be going up in the spring of 2021 to $7.99 a month. Considering all they’ve got planned (and how much that’ll cost), we’re lucky it didn’t shoot up $5. And if you’re like me and are part of the so-called “Founders Circle,” who bought three years of the service, all at once, at 2019’s D23 Expo, you will be unaffected until your three years is up.
