Disney will reportedly announce major new projects this week that will include TV and film content from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar Studios. As the covid-19 pandemic has continued forcing quarantines and public gathering restrictions, production companies have been facing challenges in producing content safely and how to distribute it to a world where theater attendance has plummeted. Disney is likely to address some of the concerns and its upcoming release slate in its virtual Investor Day event this Thursday, December 10.
In the wake of mass theater closures, low ticket sales, and production setbacks, some media companies have taken drastic measures to adapt their schedules for 2021. Warner Brothers recently announced that next year they would be releasing all major films for streaming on HBO Max on the same day the movie will premiere in theaters. The initiative has been controversial, given its potential harm to theater chains that are already struggling. Eyes are now turning to other companies and how they will approach the uncertainty of next year.
According to Deadline, Disney will announce Disney+ releases for their upcoming films Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and Cruella during their virtual Investor Day on December 10. The reports claim Disney will also announce brand new projects that are farther out, both TV and film, partially to signal a future return to normalcy. Those new projects will reportedly include previously unannounced Star Wars and Marvel content, as well as upcoming work from Pixar.
Depending on the level of content announced, that could be big news for fans of Star Wars and the MCU. While Disney has continued with plans for future Marvel films like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU has lacked a unified direction and momentum since Avengers: Endgame. With popular properties like The Fantastic 4 and X-Men now also under its cinematic umbrella, new announcements could point to the next major arc for the franchise.
Star Wars, similarly, is mainly in a limbo state. The Mandalorian season 2 has been airing to rave reviews, but plans for content beyond Baby Yoda are few and far between. Disney put all future theatrical projects on hold after The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and The Rise of Skywalker all received middling responses and diminishing box office returns. Still, a franchise as massive as Star Wars can never stay out of cinemas for long. Hopefully, Disney will give a glimpse at what the future could look like on Thursday.
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Source: Deadline