Disney will cut back on the number of Marvel and Star Wars original series as it seeks to cut spiralling production costs.
The entertainment monolith is reeling from 2.4 million subscribers ditching Disney+ at the end of last year, a contributing factor to a forthcoming cut to content budgets.
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It means the company will be “putting the brakes” on new straight-to-streaming content on Disney+, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
On February 8, Disney CEO Bob Iger said Disney needed to be “better at curating” content from the hit franchises because it’s “extraordinarily expensive” to make.
In an interview this week, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly: “The pace at which we’re putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine.”
When asked whether that means fewer shows or just spacing them out, Feige said: “Both, I think.” According to THR, that translates to only Loki season 2 and Secret Invasion debuting this year, in a much thinned-out line up of shows. Other series, such as the Wakanda Forever spin-off Ironheart, are now “on a slower path” the report says.
That means we’re probably going to see a lot less of the fringe content we’ve seen on Disney+ since its launch. WandaVision, Moon Knight, Loki and Ms. Marvel have been well received by franchise fans, but it appears they’re just costing Disney too much cash.
Meanwhile, the focus of the Star Wars franchise appears to be less about the small screen hits and more about getting those billion dollar feature films back on the big screen. The company is planning to reveal plans for the films at a Star Wars Celebration, which is coming to London in April.
What would you like to see from Star Wars’ return to the big screen? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
