After years of speculation, Ewan McGregor officially announced that he will be reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in an upcoming Disney+ series during an appearance at the end of Friday’s panel at the D23 Expo.
McGregor — who played the Jedi Knight in three “Star Wars” movies — appeared onstage with Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy to confirm that he will be reprising the role, saying the scripts were written and that production will take place next year.
The studio took to Twitter right after the announcement to share the news as you can see in the post below:
“After secrets and fibs and not being able to talk about it, I am thrilled to bring out a beloved member of the star wars family…” Kennedy said as Ewan McGregor walked onstage.
Saturday, at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige officially announced the lineup of Marvel’s ‘Phase 4’ projects.
Marvel’s ‘Phase 4’ plans include 10 projects — five movies and five Disney Plus series created exclusively for Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service launching in the U.S. on November 12.
Take a look at the entire lineup below:
The Eternals—in theaters on November 6, 2020
Chloé Zhao directs the feature, which introduces an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Eternals stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier—coming to Disney+ in fall 2020
Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) most popular heroes—Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, and Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier—embark on a series of action-filled adventures as they fight together against evil after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Anthony Mackie (The Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier) reprise their roles in the new series.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings—in theaters on February 12, 2021
Kevin Feige announced the confirmed casting of Simu Liu in the title role of Shang-Chi. Destin Daniel Cretton directs, and the film also stars celebrated Chinese actor Tony Leung as the real Mandarin, and Awkwafina in a yet-to-be-disclosed role.
WandaVision—coming to Disney+ in spring 2021
Paul Bettany reprises the role of Vision and Elizabeth Olsen returns to her role of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. They will be joined by MCU newcomer Teyonah Parris, who will be playing the grown-up version of Monica Rambeau, who was introduced to audiences in Captain Marvel.
Loki—coming to Disney+ in spring 2021
Tom Hiddleston returns to his role of the mercurial Loki, the God of Mischief and fan-favorite villain.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness—in theaters on May 7, 2021
The second film in the Doctor Strange franchise will reunite director Scott Derrickson with Benedict Cumberbatch, who returns for the new installment. Elizabeth Olsen will also star, and WandaVision—the Disney+ series that’s also centered around Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch—will connect directly to the feature-film storyline.
What If…?—coming to Disney+ in summer 2021
What If…? marks the first animated series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and features stories that present alternate realities in the Marvel universe. Many actors from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe will reprise their roles, as voice talent; and Jeffrey Wright lends his voice to the popular character The Watcher in the new series.
Hawkeye—coming to Disney+ in fall 2021
In Hall H, Jeremy Renner revealed the previously undisclosed title of the Disney+ original series. Hawkeye will introduce fans to Kate Bishop, a character well-known in the Marvel comics, who will be an integral part of the new series.
Thor: Love and Thunder—in theaters November 5, 2021
In the fourth feature film in the Thor franchise, Jane Foster, played by Natlie Portman, will become the Mighty Thor, the Goddess of Thunder. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Portman star, with Taika Waititi set to direct.
Black Widow—in theaters May 1, 2020
The first film of Phase Four stars Scarlett Johansson, who reprises her role of Natasha Romanoff, as well as MCU newcomers David Harbour, who plays Alexei aka The Red Guardian; Florence Pugh as Yelena; O-T Fagbenie as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Cate Shortland directs.
To conclude the presentation, Feige also surprised the enthusiastic Hall H crowd with the announcement that two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will star in the new Marvel Studios feature film Blade.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit may be getting his own series on, Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.
Disney hasn’t made an announcement about the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series, but writer Christopher Painter (SpongeBob SquarePants) seems to have confirmed the new project.
His online resume lists a new series called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in the “Animated Television” section. Painter lists himself as a writer on the series for “multiple episodes.”
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Walt Disney for cartoon animal films and distributed by Universal Studios in the 1920s and 1930s, serving as the Disney studio’s first animated character to feature in their own series. A total of 27 animated Oswald one-reelers were produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios (the Walt Disney Studio at the time).
In 1928, Charles Mintz took the rights of Oswald from Walt Disney and claimed Oswald as an official Universal Studios character. In November 1928, as a replacement to compete with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Mickey Mouse for the Walt Disney Studio.
It wasn’t until 2006 that The Walt Disney Company was able to re-acquired the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit back from NBC Universal. ESPN’s parent company traded the contract of NFL play-by-play analyst Al Michaels to NBC Universal in exchange for various sports considerations and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Disney says its new streaming service, Disney+, will cost $6.99 per month when it launches in the U.S. on November 12.
Disney has revealed a first look at Monsters at Work, the upcoming Disney+ animated show that will spin off Pixar’s Oscar-winning Monsters, Inc. into a new expanded series.
Monsters At Work stars Ben Feldman as a brand new character in the Monsters world, Tylor Tuskmon. And, of course, Monstropolis wouldn’t be the same without the original Monsters, Inc. voices Billy Crystal and John Goodman returning as Mike and Sulley.
The series picks up six months after the original movie’s story, with the Monsters, Inc. power plant now harvesting laughter (instead of screams) to fuel the city of Monstropolis. Tylor Tuskmon is an eager mechanic on the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT) who dreams of working his way up to the factory “Laugh Floor” to become a jokester alongside his idols Mike and Sulley.
In addition to Mike and Sulley, other fan-favorite Monsters, Inc. characters will appear in the show as well! Including Celia, voiced by Jennifer Tilly, and Yeti, voiced by Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger (who will also voice a new character, Bernard). Plus, Bob Peterson returns as Roz… as well as her twin sister Roze?!
On top of these classic characters, there are tons of new characters as well! Joining the cast of the new animated series is Kelly Marie Tran as Val Little, Tylor’s lifelong friend and confidante; Henry Winkler as Fritz, the scatterbrained boss; Lucas Neff as Duncan, an opportunistic plumber; Alanna Ubach as Cutter, the rule follower; Stephen Stanton as Smitty and Needleman, the bumbling custodial team, and Aisha Tyler as Tylor’s mom Millie Tuskmon.
The series is produced by Disney Television Animation, executive produced by Disney animation veteran Bobs Gannaway (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Planes: Fire & Rescue) with Ferrell Barron (Planes: Fire & Rescue) serving as producer.
Disney+ launches in the U.S. on November 12, 2019.
Disney+ has announced a reboot of its classic animated series Chip ‘n’ Dale is in production and set for release as a Disney+ original series.
The 39 seven minute episodes will feature the return of everyone’s favorite chipmunk troublemakers in non-verbal, classic comedy stylings.
Each of the 39 shorts will follow the ups and downs of the cutest chipmunks around living life in the big city. Combining a traditional style of animation with contemporary, comedic narratives, Chip ‘n’ Dale is directed by Jean Cayrol and produced by Marc du Pontavice.
The series is developed by Disney’s London-based animation team in collaboration with Xilam Animation in Paris.
Disney+ launches in the U.S. on November 12, 2019.
As we previously reported, a Monsters Inc. inspired series is in the works and today we have learned that both Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their roles as Mike and Sulley in the new upcoming animated series Monsters At Work.
The animated series is set to premiere on the Disney streaming platform, Disney+, in 2020. In addition to Crystal and Goodman, a monstrous lineup of actors who are lending their voices to Monsters At Work, the new animated series inspired by the world of Disney•Pixar’s Academy Award-winning film Monsters, Inc.
The series for families picks up six months after the events of Monsters, Inc.The Monsters, Inc. power plant now harvests the laughter of children to fuel Monstropolis—after all, laughter does generate 10 times more energy than screams do. We’ll follow a new monster, Tylor Tuskmon (voiced by Superstore’s Ben Feldman), an enthusiastic and talented mechanic on the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT) who dreams of following in the footsteps of his idols—Mike and Sulley—and making his way up to the factory Laugh Floor as a Jokester.
Crystal and Goodman won’t be the only familiar voices we’ll hear. Keep an ear out for John Ratzenberger, who will be voicing Yeti and a new character, Bernard; Jennifer Tilly, reprising the role of Celia Mae; and Bob Peterson, who in Monsters At Work will voice Roze, twin sister to his original Monsters, Inc. character, Roz.
Monsters At Work also stars Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) as Val Little, Tylor’s lifelong BFF; Henry Winkler (Barry) as scatterbrained boss Fritz; Lucas Neff (Raising Hope) as an opportunistic plumber named Duncan; Alanna Ubach (Coco) as Cutter, a monster who always plays by the rules; Stephan Stanton (Star Wars Resistance) as Smitty and Needleman, the bumbling custodial team; and Aisha Tyler (Archer) will lend her voice to the role of Millie Tuskmon, Tylor’s mom.
The series, which is produced by Disney Television Animation, was developed by and is executive produced by Bobs Gannaway—a Disney animation veteran whose credits include Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Planes: Fire and Rescue. Ferrell Barron (Planes: Fire & Rescue) produces, and Kat Good (Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero) and Rob Gibbs (Monsters, Inc.) direct.
Stay tuned for more news about Monsters At Work as it’s announced. (Don’t worry—you’ll hear our joyous screams!) Like Roz, we’ll be watching. Always watching. Always.
Disney’s upcoming streaming service Disney+ is set to launch this year and it looks like they are bringing in the big bad guys to get it started! Disney is developing a new TV series based on Disney Villans and it sounds wicked.
Most of the programming planned for Disney+ leans into the company’s franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, but tapping into the Villian vault give the company a plethora of stories to tell.
According to Production Weekly, Disney will be enlisting some of them for a new Disney Villains series, which is being developed by Steve Pearlman (Once Upon A Time) and Michael Seitzman (Quantico) as you can see in the post below.
Steve Pearlman (Once Upon A Time ) and Michael Seitzman (Quantico) are developing DISNEY VILLAINS, for Disney+ the upcoming online video streaming service. Production is slated for the second quarter of 2020 at Ardmore Studios in Dublin, Ireland…more at https://t.co/hPqNyEDRAupic.twitter.com/FLK12uGqh5
Few details are known at the moment, other than that it is slated to start production in the second quarter of 2020, but we’ll keep you posted as we know more.
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced yesterday that Lucasfilm is in development of a second Star Wars live-action series for the company’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service called Disney+.
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 will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire.
A release date for the series has not yet been announced. Stay tuned to Disney Dorks for the latest updates.
Mickey Mouse is turning 90 this year and the iconic character is getting his own prime-time TV special that will air this weekend on ABC.
You can celebrate 90 years of the one-and-only Mickey Mouse in a two-hour, prime-time special airing this Sunday, November 4 starting at 8:00 p.m. EST. From the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, the elegant affair will feature star-studded musical performances, moving tributes and never-before-seen short films.
You can watch the dazzling special on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV). Take a look at the trailer below.
Superstars from music, film and television will join the festivities to celebrate the birthday of the internationally beloved character, including Kristen Bell, Sofia Carson, Tony Hale, Sarah Hyland, Sklyar Astin, Kelsea Ballerini, Miles Brown, Anna Camp, Josh Gad, Wendy McLendon-Covey and Sage Steele. There will also be special musical performances by Josh Groban, NCT 127, Leslie Odom Jr., Meghan Trainor, Zac Brown Band, Luis Fonsi and Tori Kelly.
Since his big-screen debut in Steamboat Willie on Nov. 18, 1928, Mickey has been the global ambassador for The Walt Disney Company. From the beloved Mickey Mouse Club to today’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, Mickey’s optimistic outlook and endearing personality continue to delight fans around the world every day.
Disney Parks will continue the celebration with special in-park activations at all six Disney resorts around the world, bringing the party well into the New Year for all things Mickey Mouse.
Production on the first Star Wars live-action series has begun as you can see in this recently released set photo! Iron Man director Jon Favreau took to social media last week to announce that the title of the live-action scripted Star Wars TV series for Disney’s new streaming service will be: The Mandalorian!
“The Mandalorian”, focuses on a “lone gunfighter” in the era after the events of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe.”The Mandalorian” is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
The series will be written and executive produced by Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau, as previously announced, with Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) directing the first episode. Additional episodic directors include Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Bryce Dallas Howard (Solemates), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok). It will be executive produced by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist will serve as co-executive producer.
In early March, Lucasfilm announced that Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Favreau is no stranger to the Star Wars galaxy having played roles in both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”
Favreau is thrilled to be returning to the Star Wars galaxy: “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”
