Disney doubles down on Disney+ with 50 new titles to come

Disney+ was the belle of the ball at Disney’s Investor Day conference on December 10, reemphasizing the company’s pivot to streaming and providing an excuse to spend four hours detailing dozens of new titles planned for the streaming service, including new Star Wars and Marvel titles. 

After revealing that Disney+ now has more than 86 million paid subscribers and that it has “exceeded our wildest expectations,” CEO Bob Chapek said that Disney would be releasing 50 original titles on the platform in the years ahead. That includes 10 new Marvel series, 10 Star Wars series, and 15 Disney and Disney Animation series apiece. 

On the Star Wars front, two Mandalorian spin-offs from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are in the works: Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka, the latter based on Rosario Dawson’s beloved character. The projects were described by Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy as “interconnected shows” that “will excite new audiences, embrace our most passionate fans, and will culminate in a climactic story event.”

The push into more Mandalorian fare (season two is currently streaming) shows the importance of the brand for Disney+ and how the original series served as a catapult for subscribers when the streaming service launched in November 2019. 

Kennedy also said that Tony Gilroy, who cowrote Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has created Andor, another Star Wars series for Disney+ that will star Diego Luna. Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan, another series starring Ewan McGregor as the Jedi master, that’s being directed by Deborah Chow, who directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Also on tap: Lando, which is being developed by Justin Simien, the writer-director of Dear White People. 

On the theatrical front, directors Patty Jenkins and Taika Waititi are both directing new Star Wars films. Rogue Squadron, which is Jenkins’s project, will be released in theaters at Christmas in 2023.