Disney’s Bob Iger Considering ‘Mandalorian’ Spinoff Shows (original) (raw)
Disney CEO Bob Iger on Tuesday teased when season two of 'The Mandalorian' will debut and also revealed that the Disney+ series could even launch spinoff shows based on its characters.
On Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger teased when season two of The Mandalorian will debut and also revealed that the studio was considering spinoff shows based on its characters.
During an earnings call, the exec said The Mandalorian will return in October and will run beyond season two, “including the possibility of infusing it with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
The Mandalorian, created by Jon Favreau, has become the de facto flagship show for Disney+, with the Star Wars series introducing the world to Baby Yoda, easily the breakout character of 2019.
During the earnings call, Iger also said Disney+ had reached 28.6 million paid subscribers as of Monday, less than three months after launch.
The CEO also revealed premiere windows for two of the streaming platform’s anticipated Marvel Studios shows. August will see the debut of The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, Marvel’s first Disney+ series, which will be followed in December by WandaVision, which stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as Scarlet Witch and Vision, respectively.
The revelation came two days after Disney unveiled the first footage from its upcoming Marvel shows, including Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, during the Super Bowl.
Falcon & the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Malcolm Spellman (Empire) serves as head writer and Kari Skogland (The Walking Dead) directs.
WandaVision, described as taking inspiration from 1950s sitcoms, finds Scarlet Witch and Vision living their ideal suburban lives, but they begin to suspect not everything is as it seems. Matt Shakman (Game of Thrones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) directs and Jac Schaeffer (The Hustle) is head writer. In the past, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has noted that WandaVision will lead into the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is set to open May 7, 2021. Iger emphasized Tuesday these Marvel shows will interweave with the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In addition to Falcon & the Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki, the exec said there are more Marvel shows in the works. “There are seven other Marvel series in various stages of development or preproduction,” said Iger.
Those that are known include She-Hulk, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and the animated What If?
As for Star Wars, Iger noted series such as an Obi-Wan project starring Ewan McGregor and a Diego Luna-led Rogue One prequel were in the works.
“We are developing both television and features,” he said of future Star Wars projects, but the emphasis will be on Disney+ for the next few years.
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