The internet exploded at Marvel’s big Phase 5 reveal during San Diego Comic-Con 2022, where the studio revealed that six shows would be lined up for release on Disney+ in 2023. However, that excitement might be short-lived as the number has allegedly dropped to two, with only Loki Season 2 and Secret Invasion confirmed for the year.
Disney CEO Bob Iger told The Hollywood Reporter that the company needs to be “better at curating” franchise content that’s “extraordinarily expensive.” “We want the quality on the screen, but we have to look at what they cost us,” added Iger.
It is no secret that Marvel content does not come cheap, and Disney’s planned release of Loki’s second season, Secret Invasion, What If… ? ’s second season, Ironheart, Echo, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos might have tugged a bit too hard on the company’s purse strings.
The two-show slate will mark Marvel’s lowest number of TV shows in a year, with five and three shows being released in 2021 and 2022 respectively. It should be noted that Echo and Ironheart wrapped up production months ago, but they are both absent from the list.
“There is going to be a level of rigor on Marvel and across the entire company,” one company insider says. “Numbers matter now, and costs are going to be outlined and enforced.”
Over in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars fans can rejoice as the scales tip in their favour, with Disney looking to ramp up its output on both the big and small screen. Not much has been revealed about their plans for the big screen, but it’s been confirmed a Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder, Jojo Rabbit) film is on the way, and it’s been reported that another is being led by Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, Lost).
More has been revealed on the TV front, with Season 3 of The Mandalorian arriving on 1 March and Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew possibly being released later this year.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the first look at whether the company is going for quality over quantity regarding the confirmed MCU releases for 2023.
Sasha has been a lover of all things geek since before she could read, having driven her mother up the wall in providing geek material as fast as her daughter could get through them. While Fantasy has been her greatest love, Sasha won’t say no to anything Horror, Action-Packed, or Sci-Fi!
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