Disney gave us our first detailed look at their upcoming Disney+ streaming service during an extensive presentation on Thursday. Highly-anticipated details were revealed, including the program’s launch date and price point.
Disney+ will launch on Nov. 12 of this year at an unexpectedly lower $6.99 per month. If you’re into buying bulk, you can save some money by paying for an entire year up front for $69.99.
Additionally, The Mouse House announced the vast library that will be available to stream from day one. This includes 18 Pixar films; 13 animated classics which were previously locked away in the Disney vault; Marvel Studios films such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel; 250 hours of National Geographic content (newly acquired from FOX); 100 Disney Channel Original Movies plus nine exclusive originals, which includes a live-action retelling of Lady and the Tramp. Disney+ will also be the exclusive home of all 30 seasons of the beloved animated classic The Simpsons.
In the galaxy of Star Wars, Disney+ will also launch with Jon Favreau’s new live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian. It was also announced that the entire Star Wars library will be available via Disney+ within the first year. This includes all the live-action films and every episode of every animated show.
Disney previously has said that the entire library of Disney films will be available via Disney+ at some point.
The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a comprehensive list of all the content Disney is currently developing for the platform. Here are some of the more exciting projects:
Star Wars: The Mandalorian | Expected to premiere in 2019, the drama takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi and before the villainous First Order rose to replace the Empire. Jon Favreau has described it as following “the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.” The series has booked a number of high-profile directors, including Taika Waititi, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow and Star Wars: The Clone Saga‘s Dave Filoni. Favreau executive produces with Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Filoni. Pedro Pascal leads a cast that includes Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito and Werner Herzog, among others. The series, consisting of eight episodes, has completed production and will be available at launch.
Star Wars: Rogue One prequel | Diego Luna will reprise his role as rebel spy Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk will again voice K-2S0 for the live-action series, which is set during the early days of the Rebellion and ahead of the events of Rogue One. It will debut in the second year of the service.
High School Musical: The Musical | The 10-episode foray, available at launch, is based on the Emmy-winning franchise and will be shot as a docu-style series and follow a group of students at East High who stage a performance of High School Musical for their winter theater production, only to realize that as much drama happens offstage as onstage. Every episode will feature a new rendition of a song from High School Musical as well as an original song. Tim Federle (Ferdinand) and Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars), with the latter on board as showrunner. HSM exec producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush also exec produce the series. Relative newcomer Joshua Bassett stars.
Monsters at Work | An animated series based on the Monsters, Inc. Pixar franchise will also be among the Disney+ offerings. Expected to debut in 2020, the series picks up six months after the original movie with the power plant at its center now harvesting the laughter of children to fuel the city of Monstropolis. The series follows Tylor Tuskmon (Feldman), an eager and talented mechanic on the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team who dreams of working on the Laugh Floor alongside Mike and Sulley. Original voice stars John Goodman (Sulley) and Billy Crystal (Mike Wazowski), John Ratzenberger (Yeti), Jennifer Tilly (Celia) and Bob Peterson (Roz) will return and be joined by franchise newcomers Ben Feldman (Superstore), Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Henry Winkler (Barry), Lucas Neff (Raising Hope), Alanna Ubach (Coco), Stephen Stanton (Star Wars Resistance) and Aisha Tyler (Archer).
Marvel’s Loki | Tom Hiddleston is expected to reprise his role as fan-favorite MCU character Loki in the live-action series that will follow the trickster and shape-shifter as he pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events. Michael Waldron will write the pilot, serve as series creator and exec produce. It will premiere in year two of the service.
Marvel’s WandaVision | Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are expected to reprise their big-screen characters as Vision and Scarlet Witch in the series. Jac Schaeffer, one of the writers behind Captain Marvel, will run point on the series that will focus on the two integral members of the Avengers. She will pen the pilot and exec produce the series. Available in the second year of Disney+.
Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their roles as Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the miniseries, which has Malcolm Spellman (Empire) set to pen the script. It will be available in year one.
Marvel’s What If …? | An animated series, based on the Marvel Comics title. Each episode will explore a pivotal moment in the MCU and “turn it on its head.” Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said the first episode will re-examine the Captain America origin story, only with Peggy Carter receiving the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Premiering in year one.
Love, Simon | A series sequel to the beloved 2018 feature based on author Leah Albertalli’s novel Leah on the Offbeat, which followed the film’s source material Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The film’s director, Greg Berlanti, is not involved with the 20th TV-produced project owing to his commitments to Warner Bros., but screenwriters Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (This Is Us) are and will serve as showrunners. The series will feature a new cast.
The Sandlot | A sequel to the 1993 movie that would focus on the children of the original’s now-grown characters. The movie’s screenwriter, David Mickey Evans, is behind the reboot, and sources tell THR that the original cast is all set to reprise their roles.
Other scripted series, including a Hawkeye miniseries starring Jeremy Renner, a take on Escape to Witch Mountain and a possible Muppets project have also been rumored.
Marvel’s 616 (working title) is an anthological documentary series exploring the intersection between Marvel’s rich legacy of stories, characters and creators and the world outside your window. Told through the lens of a diverse group of filmmakers, each documentary will dive into the rich historical, cultural and societal context that has become inseparable from stories of the Marvel Universe. The series is produced by Marvel New Media in partnership with Supper Club. Executive produced by Joe Quesada, Stephen Wacker, Shane Rahmani, John Cerilli, Harry Go and Sarah Amos for Marvel and David Gelb, Brian McGinn and Jason Sterman for Supper Club. Premiering in the first year.
Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies (working title) is an anthology series that takes a unique look at beloved films through the props and costumes (now modern “artifacts”) that made them unique — from the craftspeople who created them, the actors who interacted with them and the collectors/archives who own and cherish them. The show will be hosted by film historian/collector Dan Lanigan. Among the films featured in the first eight episodes are Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Mary Poppins, The Muppet Movie, Tron and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Produced by ABC Studios and executive produced by Jason Henry and Dan Lanigan. Available in year one.
To top it off, Disney+ will be ad free.
That’s everything you need to know about Disney+ in a nutshell! What do you think about the announcement? Are you enticed to pick up the streaming service at launch, or are you still not convinced? Sound off in the comments below and let me know what you’re thinking!
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