Disney has finally given a name to its upcoming streaming service. (But still no word on the launch date or price for the OTT platform.)
The service will be called Disney+, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday.
Disney+ — along with housing titles from Disney brands including Marvel, Pixar, LucasFilm and its own vault — will feature a number of original productions.
The biggest ones that Disney has confirmed so far are a “Rogue One” prequel series starring Diego Luna — which was first announced during the call Thursday — and the previously-ordered “The Mandalorian,” a live-action “Star Wars” TV series helmed by Jon Favreau.
“Star Wars” vet Dave Filioni will direct the pilot episode for the latter series, with subsequent installments helmed by Bryce Dallas Howard, Taika Waititi, Rick Famuyiwa and Deborah Chow.
Disney+ will also feature TV series versions of “High Fidelity” (with Zoe Kravitz), Pixar’s “Monsters Inc” and “High School Musical.” On the film side, a live-action reboot of “Lady and the Tramp” will star Tessa Thompson, Justin Theroux and Janelle Monae.
Additionally, Marvel Studios is developing several standalone series starring big-screen characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson), and Bucky Barns aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
It’s not exactly clear which films Disney will be able to put on Disney+ at launch in late 2019, given existing licensing deals with other distributors, namely Netflix. The Netflix deal ends next year, meaning that upcoming titles released in the next year, including Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” and the untitled “Avengers 4,” should be available, along with LucasFilm’s “Star Wars Episode IX.”
Iger confirmed prior reports that Disney is looking to gain back rights to some of its films — namely “Star Wars” films on TNT — so it can offer them on Disney+, but did not go into much detail. “We are in some discussions about this.”
The CEO added that, unlike its competitors, Disney+ subscribers will be able to search for programming by brands and franchises. Iger promised more details on the streaming service, including the price and additional programming, during an investor meeting in April.
See the logo for Disney+ below.
