Disney Investor Day 2020 – Marvel Studios Announcement Summary

Kevin Feige, president, Marvel Studios, and chief creative officer, Marvel, shared plans for the expansion and future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—revealing details about upcoming content for both Disney+ and theaters. Said Feige, “The Cinematic Universe weaves storylines, heroes and villains across 23 feature films to date. And with Disney+, we’re able to extend this way of storytelling to a new format—creating series that are connected to our theatrical releases, making the MCU more immersive than ever.”

Among dozens of upcoming projects, Feige revealed three new series for Disney+, including the Samuel L. Jackson-starrer “Secret Invasion,” “Ironheart” with Dominique Thorne as a genius inventor, and “Armor Wars,” starring Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine who faces Tony Stark’s worst fears. Feige announced a host of new feature films, including “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” the third feature in the “Ant-Man” franchise, and “Fantastic Four,” which introduces Marvel’s most iconic family.

Following are the projects included, listed in chronological order under the Disney+ and feature films distribution headers.

 

DISNEY +

WandaVision, launching on Disney+ on Jan. 15, 2021, is Marvel Studios’ first series that continues to expand the MCU. Wanda Maximoff and Vision are two super-powered beings are living idealized suburban lives, but begin to suspect everything is not as it seems. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings and Randall Park, “WandaVision” is directed by Matt Shakman; Jac Shaeffer is head writer.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, kicking off on Disney+ March 19, 2021, is a new series starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of “Avengers: Endgame,” team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience. Directed by Kari Skogland with Malcolm Spellman serving as head writer, the six-episode series also stars Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.

Loki is set to debut on Disney+ in May 2021 featuring the God of Mischief as he steps out of his brother’s shadow in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Tom Hiddleston returns as the title character, joined by Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant. Kate Herron directs “Loki,” and Michael Waldron is head writer.

What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Coming to Disney+ in Summer 2021, Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles. The series is directed by Bryan Andrews; Ashley Bradley is head writer.

Ms. Marvel, launching on Disney+ in late 2021, is a new series that introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for Super Heroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right? Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel; the cast also includes Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Hawkeye, which debuts on Disney+ in late 2021, stars Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, who teams up with another well-known archer from the Marvel comics, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. “Hawkeye” is helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie.

She-Hulk, a new comedy series coming to Disney+, stars Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases. “She-Hulk” will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth. The series is directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia; Jessica Gao is head writer.

Moon Knight is a new series created for Disney+. Directed by Mohamed Diab, the action-adventure features a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities who live inside him are distinct characters who appear against a backdrop of Egyptian iconography.

Secret Invasion is a newly announced series heading to Disney+ that stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos—characters who first met in “Captain Marvel.” The crossover comic event series showcases a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years.

Ironheart, the second of the newly announced series coming to Disney+, stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

Armor Wars, based on the classic Marvel comic series, comes to Disney+ starring Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine who must face what happens when Tony Stark’s tech falls into the wrong hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, slated for Disney+ during the 2022 holiday season, is written and directed by “Guardians of the Galaxy” veteran James Gunn.

I Am Groot features everyone’s favorite baby tree in a series of original shorts coming to Disney+.

 

FEATURE FILMS

Black Widow, opening May 7, 2021, stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. The action-packed spy thriller chronicles Natasha’s efforts to deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Directed by Cate Shortland, “Black Widow” also stars Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, opening July 9, 2021, stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings” also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan. The cast also includes Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.

Eternals, opening Nov. 5, 2021, is a feature film that features the MCU’s newest ensemble of Super Heroes in an epic story that spans thousands of years. Directed by Chloé Zhao, “Eternals” features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants. The outstanding ensemble cast in cludes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, debuting March 25, 2022, is currently in production starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Xochitl Gomez joins them, portraying America Chavez, a new fan-favorite from the comics. Directed by Sam Raimi, the mind-bending adventure connects to the events of “WandaVision” and the upcoming Spider-Man film.

Thor: Love and Thunder, opening on May 6, 2022, begins filming next month with director Taika Waititi at the helm. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson return to their roles, joined by Christian Bale, who portrays villain Gorr the God Butcher.

Black Panther 2, opening on July 8, 2022, is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy and portrayal of T’Challa, the Black Panther, Marvel Studios will not recast the character, but will continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.

Blade is a new feature film starring Mahershala Ali in the title role.

Captain Marvel 2, a new feature film opening Nov. 11, 2022, is directed by Nia DaCosta. Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, alongside Iman Vellani, who makes her debut in “Ms. Marvel,” and Teyonah Parris, who portrays grown-up Monica Rambeau—a character introduced as a child in “Captain Marvel” who returns to the MCU as an adult in “WandaVision.”

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will be helmed by Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, starring returning favorites Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Kathryn Newton joins the cast as Cassie Lang while Jonathan Majors portrays Kang the Conqueror.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated for 2023 with director James Gunn at the helm.

Fantastic Four features one of Marvel’s most iconic families. Jon Watts is on board to direct.