- Disney CEO Bob Iger said during an earnings call on Thursday that its upcoming streaming service will be called Disney+.
- Iger also said a prequel TV series to "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is being developed, starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor.
- Iger confirmed that a Loki TV series is being made, spinning off from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed new details about the company's upcoming Netflix competitor in an earnings call on Thursday, including the service's name.
Iger said the name of the streaming service, expected to launch in late 2019, is Disney+. Disney revealed a logo for the service on Thursday:
Iger said a Loki TV series is in development for the service with Tom Hiddleston reprising his role, confirming a Variety report that Disney is making shows spinning off of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A new "Star Wars" live-action TV series is also being developed that will be a prequel to "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," starring Diego Luna as his "Rogue One" character, Cassian Andor. The series will be a "spy thriller" that "follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion" and will go into production next year, according to the "Star Wars" official website.
Another "Star Wars" live-action series is currently being filmed from writer and producer Jon Favreau (director of "Iron Man" and "The Jungle Book") called "The Mandalorian." It will be the first live-action "Star Wars" TV series ever. It takes place between the original and new "Star Wars" trilogies, following a "lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy."
Iger said Disney is "in some discussions" to gain the TV rights back to old movies, but didn't specify which. During an earnings call in August, Iger said "a number of products" before 2019 would be affected by licensing agreements, suggesting that the streaming service would not include Disney's full catalog at launch. Bloomberg reported at the time that Disney was trying to buy back the TV rights to old "Star Wars" movies from Turner Broadcasting, but negotiations had stalled.
Other shows Iger touched on included an animated "Monsters, Inc." series and the return of the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," as well as a live-action "High School Musical" show.
Exclusive movies to the service will include "Noel," starring Anna Kendrick as Santa's daughter, and "Togo," starring Willem Dafoe, about the 1925 serum run to Nome.
Beginning in 2019, all of Disney's movies will be removed from Netflix. That still leaves the fate of the remaining Marvel Netflix series up in the air, including "Daredevil,""Jessica Jones," and "The Punisher," which wrapped filming on its second season this year. Netflix recently canceled two of the series, "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist." It could be due to waning interest in the shows, but it could also be due to Disney wanting to limit competition as much as possible and complicated negotiations with Netflix.
As Disney enters the streaming war, even with all of this content and more, it will face hurdles as it takes on Netflix. A Barclays analysis released last month saw Disney's other video services, ESPN+ and Hulu (which it will own 60% of after the Fox deal closes), as "reductive" until it figures out pricing and bundling strategies. Furthermore, the service will be launching during what Barclays called a "tough integration" during the Disney-Fox merger.
But Disney also has the assets to be a formidable player.
A Morgan Stanley analysis last month predicted that Disney+ would gain over 20 million subscribers by 2024 and become a $6 billion business. And a Parks Associates analysis this week sees Disney faring well in the streaming war, based on a pattern of services (like HBO Now and CBS All Access) gaining ground against competition with the "powerful attractiveness of original content."
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Read more of Business Insider's coverage of Disney+ below:
- New data shows the winners and losers in streaming this year — and it's good news for Disney
- Disney is reportedly developing a Marvel TV series that raises questions about Captain America's fate in 'Avengers 4'
- Netflix canceled Marvel's 'Luke Cage' and 'Iron Fist' in the span of a month, and it could show a strategy shift
- Disney faces major hurdles as it takes on Netflix, and needs to figure out Hulu fast
- Morgan Stanley predicted how Disney's Netflix competitor will fare in the streaming wars
- Disney's Scarlet Witch TV show could finally introduce the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- A potential TV series gives new life to a fan theory that Loki didn't die in 'Avengers: Infinity War'
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