Posted on 12/18/2020 8:04:09 AM PST by Kaslin
When Disney announced 52 upcoming films and series, Hollywood press, movie fans, and even Wall Street ate up the hype. Here’s an overview of the big takeaways.
In recent days, trading on Disney’s stock hit record highs, a short-term indicator the company succeeded with their much-hyped presentation of upcoming films and shows. But the long-term outcome is a more complex story. After all, over the past year, Disney laid off more than 30,000 employees (mostly related to still-closed theme parks) and streaming video platforms have not yet proven the profit potential of theatrical releases.
Over a four-hour unveiling that resembled Comic Con, Disney executives and producers announced 52 new TV series and movies. The majority will be exclusive to streaming service Disney Plus, with a few theatrical releases sprinkled in (unlike WarnerMedia’s HBOMax plans, Disney has managed not to tick off dozens of top actors and directors with its strategy.)
Hollywood media has already spent a lot of virtual ink pouring over every release, even though many will not premiere for two or three years. Indeed, some projects in development are likely to never materialize.
To analyze big-picture trends and provide need-to-know details on Disney’s mega event, here are five insights on how the Magic Kingdom plans to rule your living room TV set.
Two years ago, Marvel President Kevin Feige and his team began an ambitious plan: to integrate several TV series into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that has dominated the global box office since 2008’s “Iron Man.” Audiences will finally get their first taste of it when speculative sci-fi series “WandaVision” premieres on Jan. 15. It stars Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen reprising their superhero roles from several “Avengers” films.
As soon as that six-episode series concludes, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will premiere in March. Reportedly, it’s an action-packed political thriller in the vein of hit MCU film “Captain America: The Winter Solider.” On the heels of that show, in May, Tom Hiddleston returns as “Loki” in a time-traveling series that follows directly from the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Essentially, for the next six months, fans of Marvel films will have new TV episodes to enjoy every weekend on Disney Plus. These initial series particularly look compelling. Further out, it’s hard to judge the quality or originality of such entries as “Secret Invasion,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Hawkeye,” “She-Hulk,” “Ironheart,” and a host of others.
In summer 2018, the unthinkable happened for Disney: “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” a big-budget entry in their crown-jewel franchise, flopped at the box office. Released six months after the widely panned-by-fans “The Last Jedi,” many took it as retaliation. Then-Disney CEO Bob Iger later admitted about their wall-to-wall Star Wars strategy: “We might’ve put a little bit too much in the marketplace too fast.”
Fast-forward two years and Disney has apparently ret-conned that admission. On Thursday, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy announced ten new projects set in a galaxy far, far away—seven TV series, two films, and “The Mandalorian” continuing for several seasons—coming in the next three years.
Without trailers, skeptical longtime Star Wars fans have lately learned how to gauge the potential of future projects. Is story guru Dave Filoni listed as producer or executive producer? If yes, add to the watch list.
They will do whatever their Chicom overlords tell them to do.
No doubt about it,
They will not make the money back from streaming. Too many other choices that are free and the ones mentioned for Marvel are 2nd rate characters. They will cook the hollywood books even more and stiff everyone involved except themselves.
Excerpt: “The Kardashian Jenners will create new global content under a multi-year deal”
The bottom of the barrel for Disney!!
Excerpt: “NatGeo’s acclaimed “Genius” anthology series, dramatized in a co-production from Ron Howard, will bring the life story of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to new audiences.”
The ending where he had 2 hookers in his hotel room when he was shot should be interesting. I wonder how Opie will film the hookers?
Disney R-rated content mixed in with kid shows.
So writer Filoni is on at least 4 out of 10 new projects being planned. Directors can make changes. Meh.
The MCU was built on 2nd rate characters. They’d sold off the rights to all the big names back in the 90s when Marvel was going bankrupt. Iron Man was nobody before the first movie. Dr Strange has had so many series canceled he’s probably not even 2nd rate. Guardians of the Galaxy was even lower down the food chain that Strange. So never doubt they can spin the lower tier characters to gold.
Zhēngfú is more like it ..
Theres a brain trust right there. Shows like "Look at me dressed like a slut!", "Check out my ass!" "Who am I banging now?" "The Kanye West Gospel Hour!, "Who wants a pardon?" "Arm Wrestling with Caitlyn!"
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