The Disney streaming service just got a whole lot more appealing for Marvel fans. According to a new report, Marvel Studios is in the early stages of developing shows for characters such as Loki and Scarlet Witch for the service. Unlike the Marvel shows over on Netflix, these shows will have Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige heavily involved and they will feature the actors that played the characters in the movies.
Exact details are currently a bit scarce, as Marvel and Disney have yet to make a formal announcement and as the story details are currently being fleshed out, but it’s being reported that these shows will focus on “second-tier” characters. The core heroes of the MCU, such as Captain America and Iron Man, won’t be the subjects of these new shows, which will take on a limited series model. The report states that they will be roughly six to eight episodes in length. This could allow for quite a few different types of stories to be told that there simply might never be room for on the big screen.
An important distinction made in the report is that these shows are expected to carry massive budgets, on part with blockbuster movie productions. That shows just how committed Disney is to getting this streaming service beefed up with big content in order to attract subscribers. The company has already said their service, which is tentatively titled Disney Play and will launch in late 2019, will be cheaper than Netflix, so it will take a lot of subscribers to make expensive endeavors such as these, as well as other projects like the live-action Star Wars TV show, pay off in the end.
While Loki and Scarlet Witch, who are expected to be played by Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen respectively, were the only characters mentioned, there are plenty of characters in the MCU that could benefit from a show. What Marvel fan wouldn’t watch a show featuring Korg and Miek? What about focusing on Captain America’s Howling Commandos? There are near countless options. Maybe this is how Hawkeye ends up in the spotlight for a bit?
Even though shows like Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. take place in the MCU, there has always existed a disconnect between those shows produced by Marvel TV and the movies produced by Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios. With Feige directly involved in these productions, they will surely feel much more connected to the larger MCU, which should help attract more fans.
At the present time, there’s no word on a production timetable or when we could possibly see the first of these shows premiere. There are also no writers attached, or at least not ones that have been revealed, at this time. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more details are made available. This news was first reported by Variety.