Disney yet again was the center of all entertainment news over the weekend as their annual event in Anaheim dropped some huge news regarding some of their biggest upcoming Movies, whilst the company also continued to stock up their Disney+ streaming service ahead of its November 12th US release.
So, what were the five biggest announcements?
1) ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ new footage and Disney+ news excites Star Wars fans
News I imagine you will have seen by now. Lucasfilm head honcho Kathleen Kennedy and the film’s director J.J Abrams were joined onstage by some the film’s stars, including Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe) as Abrams spoke not only about the film and its importance (being the final chapter in the Skywalker saga) but also his decision to use previously unseen footage of the late great Carrie Fisher, in order to round of Leia’s story.
However, many of those lucky enough to be there were no doubt waiting with bated breath to see if a second trailer would drop. And although playing with an opening minute of moments from the previous films to whet the appetite, the audience were treated to scenes from the upcoming December release, including, the group of heroes overlooking a desert type planet, Rey in training, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey at battle on what looked like a crashing ship, and most notably…Rey, dressed in a black cloak, hood up wielding a Darth maul-esque dual red lightsaber. Though unlikely to be a major twist given its appearance in a trailer, speculation has started over its possible meaning. My guess would be a dream sequence, or a vision shown to Rey possibly through her already established mental connection to Driver’s Kylo Ren.
Moving to the small screen, not only was a first trailer for Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian’ revealed and released online (which will be the first original show to stream on the platform) but after years of speculation whether he would return as the widely hailed best character from the prequels, Ewan McGregor arrived on stage to confirm his involvement in an ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series. However, no news on the shows plot was confirmed, although it was revealed that filming will take place in 2020.
2) Jamie Foxx to lead the second two original Pixar flicks in 2020
Pete Docter, Pixar’s head, broke the news about the second Pixar feature that would be hitting screens in 2020. Titled ‘Soul’ it will follow an aspiring Jazz Pianist, voiced by Jamie Foxx, with his character the first black protagonist in Pixar’s history. Following his winding up in an almost school for the soul, Foxx’s character must find a way back to Earth with the help of Tina Fey’s character. The film itself sounds like a perfect companion to arguably
Docter’s masterpiece ‘Inside Out’, with yet another of his films set to explore the inner workings of us as Humans, and what makes us tick.
Elsewhere, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland took to the stage to talk more about the first Pixar film that will be coming next year, ‘Onward’. On March 6th fans will be able to embark on a mystical adventure with Holland and Pratt as two elves in search of their presumed dead Father. Heavily leaning on the magical aspects, the footage screened, according to IndieWire, showed Holland’s character with an ‘awkward gift for wizarding’ and Pratt’s character being ‘Shrunk by a growing spell’. Either way, following this year which has been saturated with sequels and reboots (mainly from Disney themselves) it’s good to have two new, original Pixar movies on the horizon.
3) Marvel news, including more on ‘Black Widow’,’ ‘Black Panther II’, and three new shows hitting Disney+
In a week in which it was announced that Spider-man would be leaving the MCU following the lack of a deal between Marvel and Sony, Kevin Feige took to the stage to share news of some heroes already in Cinema’s biggest Universe, and those who will soon be joining it.
Beginning with ‘Black Widow’ the first entry into Marvel’s phase 5 and the next Marvel project to hit the screen (next May), Feige shared what appeared to be the same footage that debuted at Comic-Con some months ago, in which Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanov and Florence Pugh’s Yelena face-off in a brutal, ‘John Wick’ type fight scene, only for it to be revealed they are friends.
Feige did go one step further than at Comic-Con however, stating this would be at least ‘in part’ and origin story. The subsequent poster released after the expo also gave fans a first glimpse at David Harbour’s ‘Red Guardian’, the Soviet answer to Captain America.
Elsewhere, following the introduction of the supremely talented Ryan Coogler to the stage, the long-known sequel to box-office and cultural phenom ‘Black Panther’ was finally confirmed for May 6th, 2022, with Coogler in the midst of writing the script as we speak.
Whilst arguably the biggest Marvel news came in the form of three new shows hitting the soon-arriving Disney+, with the announcement of new Marvel heroes joining its roster. Firstly, the long-awaited entry into the MCU of Ms. Marvel has been confirmed, as she will lead her own series. Following Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager and fan of The Avengers who is exposed to elements that unlock her shapeshifting powers, Khan will be the first Muslim superhero hit mainstream screens. Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner will also soon be joined by ‘SheHulk’, the cousin of Banner who develops ‘Hulk like’ abilities after a blood transfusion with Banner himself. And finally, after years of speculation, ‘Moon Knight’ will finally be getting a live action adaptation, as the story of Marc Spector, a man visited by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu who develops superhuman capabilities will also be hitting the small screen.
4) More footage of ‘Mulan’
No doubt Disney’s most ambitious remake to date. Following the incredibly safe retellings of ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion king’, it came as a shock to many when Disney announced that the Niki Caro directed live-action remake would not include any songs. The footage shown over the weekend showed Mulan (played by Yifei Liu) as she disguises herself as a male-soldier in an attempt to save her father. Regardless of how the film itself turns out, it will no doubt be impossible to deny the films beauty, as the grand landscapes of the 1998 animation are brought to life.
5) Disney joins Pixar in announcing original Animation
Score one more for original Movies, as Disney themselves will be making an original set for release in 2020. Inspired by Asian fantastical culture, ‘Raya and the Last dragon’, written by ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ screen-writer Adele Lim, will follow Cassie Steele’s ‘Raya’, as she battles to restore her homeland to its former glory’s by hunting for a missing Dragon. However, upon finding the mysterious ‘Sisu’ she discovers the Dragon finds itself trapped in human form. ‘Sisu’ the dragon will be voiced by none other than rising mega-star Awkwafina.
Roundup News
Inspired by one of Disney’s own rides, the originally set for 2019 ‘Jungle Cruise’ starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, debuted two comedic trailers, one from the point of view of Johnson’s Captain Frank Wolff, and one from the point of view of Blunt’s Dr. Lily Houghton. These ‘spoof’ trailers however have yet to hit the web.
‘Frozen II’ revealed two of its songs it hopes will be contending for Oscars next February. Sung by cast members Idina Menzel, Kristen bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad, the two songs are called ‘All is Found’ and ‘Somethings never change’.
Marvel's "Ghost Rider" just hired one of the best cinematographers working today. Linus Sandgren will serve as DP on Shawn Levy's MCU flick, and, most notably, the project will be shot on film.