If you're on the fence about subscribing to Disney's new streaming service, which has been dubbed Disney+ [1] ("Disney Plus"), then we have some news that might change your mind. Although it's annoying in the extreme to think about forking over even more money for a streaming platform, it seems that Disney+ will at least make it worth your while with a wide array of content available for your viewing pleasure.
In addition to exclusive movie releases [2], like the live-action Lady and the Tramp film and the book-to-movie adaptation of Stargirl, Disney+ is also set to premiere a slew of exciting TV shows featuring some of your favourite characters. On the Marvel front, Loki, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and more are getting their own series [3]. There's also going to be a docuseries about the making of Frozen 2 and a meta revival of High School Musical [4].
Ahead, check out all the series Disney+ will have to offer you starting later this year!
The Mandalorian
According to the official Star Wars website [6], we're going to be following a new deadly gunfighter whose story is not unlike Jango and Boba Fett's. The initial announcement said we'll "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 set in hitherto unexplored parts of the Star Wars universe, taking place after the fall of the Empire (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) but before the rise of the first order (Episode VII: The Force Awakens). Could some of the characters from the new trilogy possibly make appearances at some point? Fingers crossed.
As for who's starring in the series, Pedro Pascal (perhaps best known for playing Prince Oberyn in Game of Thrones) will portray the "lone Mandalorian gunfighter" teased in the premise. Also in the cast are Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog, and Nick Nolte. Whew, that's a lot of star power! Keep your eyes peeled for the group when the series premieres in Fall 2019.
A Rogue One Spinoff Series
Disney's second live-action Star Wars series will follow characters originated in 2016's standalone film, Rogue One. Alan Tudyk is set to reprise his role as droid K-2SO alongside costar Diego Luna, who is once again playing Rebel Alliance spy Cassian Andor. The series is being touted [7] as "a rousing spy thriller that will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire."
The Americans alum Stephen Schiff is on board as showrunner and executive producer on the series, which currently has a planned 2021 release date.
A Willow TV Series
Remember Willow? Ron Howard's 1988 masterpiece about a reluctant farmer (Warwick Davis) who gets roped into a journey with Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) to save a special baby and their realm from the tyrannical Queen Bavmorda? It's full of plenty of faeries, trolls, sword fighting, and people transforming into pigs, and apparently we'll all go back to the wondrous world of Willow soon since Howard is bringing a series based on the film to Disney+ [8].
Howard originally directed the movie based on a story by George Lucas, and while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he revealed that writer Jon Kasdan has been "hounding" him about a reboot.
"I think it'd be a great way to go," Howard said. "In fact, George always talked about the possibility of a Willow series, and it'd be great and more intimate, and built around that character and some of the others. And Jon Kasdan has, I think, an inspired take on it and it could be really, really cool."
Nothing is official quite yet, but Howard also mentioned that Warwick Davis would return as the titular Willow.
Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2
According to a tweet from Disney [9] on April 11, Disney+ will be diving into the docuseries genre: "Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 is a first-of-its-kind documentary series taking audiences behind the scenes of the highly anticipated animated film." Since not too much is known about the plot of the sequel quite yet (other than that "Into the Unknown" is also the title of a song from the film [10]), there's obviously not much to know about what exactly the docuseries will cover, either. But we can probably expect a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into Disney's filmmaking process.
Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee has described the series as real and raw, noting that it will showcase the studio's "collaborative environment in a way we have never shared before." The cast, music team, and other teams involved in the production of the film will all make appearances, since as Lee said, "nothing is off limits."
Frozen 2 will open in theatres on Nov. 22, so fingers crossed the series drops around then, too!
High School Musical: The Musical
Although the long-rumoured High School Musical 4 [11] has yet to come to fruition, we have news of the next best thing: a High School Musical [12] TV show. Disney is rebooting the beloved series [13] — well, technically — for Disney+, and this time around, things are getting meta.
For starters, the show's name is High School Musical [14]: The Musical, and it will be shot docu-style as the story plays out over the course of 10 episodes. And, if you haven't guessed it already, the students at East High who decide to put on a musical for their Winter theatre production don't pick Grease or Guys and Dolls; they're putting on the High School Musical. Confused yet? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will follow the students as they "realise that as much drama happens off stage as on stage." What's more? Every episode will feature a brand-new rendition of a song from the first film, along with an original song.
The series is being executive produced by Tim Federle and Oliver Goldstick, the latter of whom worked on Freeform's Pretty Little Liars [15] and therefore knows his way around teenage drama. Prepare to unleash your inner wildcat when the show premieres at some point later in 2019.
Loki
Loki is one of the few shows that has been confirmed [16] by both Marvel and the titular character's actor, Tom Hiddleston. According to The Hollywood Reporter [17], the series will follow Loki as the trickster and shape-shifter pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events. Hiddleston confirmed his involvement with the series on Instagram [18], writing, "Loki. More stories to tell. More mischief to make. More to come."
After seeing his far too-brief cameo in Avengers: Endgame [19], we can't wait to have more of his antics in our lives. So far the series has tapped Rick and Morty writer Michael Waldron to pen the pilot, act as show creator, and executive produce the series.
WandaVision
If you're a Marvel fan who wishes the Avengers films were actually rom-coms all about Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) and The Vision, then you're in luck: in January 2019, The Hollywood Reporter revealed [20] an upcoming Disney+ series dubbed WandaVision [21] and will focus on the adventures of both characters, with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany [22] reprising their roles.
Jac Schaeffer, one of the writers behind Captain Marvel, has been tapped to run point on the series, writing the pilot and executive producing. It will be interesting to see how a show about just the two of them functions without the rest of the Avengers.
A Limited Series About Hawkeye
A Hawkeye standalone film was first rumoured to be in development back in June 2018 by MCU Cosmic [23]. But on April 10, Variety reported that, according to its sources [24], Disney was working on an adventure series following Clint Barton passing the torch to Kate Bishop [25], who takes up the Hawkeye mantle in Marvel Comics.
This ties into his arc in Avengers: Endgame [26], which shows the character teaching his daughter archery just before the Snap. Kate is also a member of the Young Avengers, a team that has been hinted to be appearing in the MCU [27] sometime in the future.