A new teaser trailer was released by Disney+ for the upcoming TV series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” starring Ewan McGregor. The episodic is set 10 years after “Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan is hiding on the planet Tatooine as he looks after the young Luke Skywaker.
The clip also finally reveals that Darth Vader will appear in the series and there will be an ultimate showdown with the former mentor. We see in the video, even though just for the last few seconds, his suit and iconic breathing.
In addition to McGregor, cast members include: Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie and Maya Erskine.
The limited series which will consist of six parts will premiere the first two episodes starting May 27th, with the remaining episodes each Wednesday on a weekly basis, with the final date on June 22.
Two new Marvel heroes have been brought to the big and small screens that may be quite new to many people. The first is the titular character in the Disney+ series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac, which is set in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. The other is Morbius, an unlucky vampiric doctor, played by Jared Leto, who is the newest villain-turned-good-ish guy in the Sony Spider-Man Universe to get a film, after Venom.
These are stories featuring violent male anti-heroes – who are also characters fairly unknown to the general public. When the first Venom was released, The Hollywood Reporter noted: “The MCU makes it easy to be a Marvel fan without having ever read the source material”.
Morbius has not fared so well, bringing in the lowest box office numbers compared to its Spider-Man counterparts. Critics suggest that this might be due to the character’s “relative obscurity”. On the other hand, Moon Knight has garnered good reviews.
Like it or not, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding and there are a whole host of new heroes making their way from the more obscure corners of the comic universe onto the screen. Here are five such characters who will be headlining new films and TV series as part of numerous forthcoming Marvel projects, from Disney’s Marvel Studios, and Sony.
1. Ms Marvel
The world’s first female, teen, Muslim superhero, Ms Marvel received a lot of praise when she made her debut in 2013 in a Captain marvel comic. Critics praised the character as a positive representation of a young Pakistani American woman who is also Muslim. This outing was so successful, the teen got her own comic the following year. She will also officially be joining Marvel’s Cinematic Universe in June 2022 with her own series on Disney+. https://www.youtube.com/embed/m9EX0f6V11Y?wmode=transparent&start=0
The series revolves around a young woman called Kamala Khan, who is a is a huge fan of superheroes. When she mysteriously gets powers, Khan is inspired by Captain Marvel to become a hero herself. Ms Marvel will be appearing alongside Captain Marvel and Photon in the 2023 film The Marvels.
Werewolf by Night will be MCU’s first horror outing. Marvel
Following the cinema release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first horror themed TV show. Featuring the somewhat prosaically named Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night ran for four years in the 1970s, following a relaxation on censorship of horror comics, which allowed for the creation of Marvel’s vampire characters Blade and Morbius in the first half of the decade.
Kraven is the orphaned son of Russian aristocrats with a penchant for hunting big game. While hunting in Africa, he ends up drinking a potion that gives him superhuman strength, speed and the instincts of a jungle cat. Bored of hunting animals he sets his sights on larger prey, Spider-Man.
Kraven first appeared in comics as Spider-Man’s foe in 1964. The maniacal hunter will be the third villain to lead a live-action Spider-Verse film. However, unlike Venom and Morbius before him, Kraven is not known in the comics for performing good deeds, so it will be an interesting challenge for Marvel to make an anti-hero of the artistocrat.
Kraven The Hunter is not a nice guy in the comics but is set to be an anti-hero in his first outing in the Spider-Man Sony universe. Marvel
Kraven rarely appears without Spider-Man in the comics so Sony have set themselves a challenge to flesh out the hunter in a film where his nemesis doesn’t appear. Kraven will be played by Aaron-Taylor Johnson, who is no stranger to a tight suit, having previously played the low-rent superhero Kick Ass in two films.
5. Silk
The first Spider-Man Sony universe TV show will feature Cindy Moon, a female student bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Spider-Man his abilities. However, unlike Peter Parker who was left to swing around New York and discover his new powers, Moon was kidnapped and held in a bunker for 13 years.
Silk was turned by the same spider as Spider-Man. Marvel/Wikimedia
With Sony’s films only apparently allowing for Spider-Man to be shown or discussed in their end credit scenes, it will be interesting to see how Silk deals with the heroine’s creation without any mention of Spidey – unless given permission by Disney to do so. There has been speculation that Sony may revive Andrew Garfield’s incarnation of the character in the future, so time will tell how Silk proceeds.
In any particular month, on any given streaming platform, besides the “endless” searching to find something you want to watch, there usually is one, or at best two, new incoming movies or TV shows “worthy” of watching.
This month may prove different, since, with the entertainment industry and movie production in full swing, there are buckets of better movies and shows to watch (and this state of affairs will potentially be the case for the remainder of the year).
We’ve broken down some Must Watch Movies and TV shows on each platform with and an overview:
Netflix
Whether its Jack Gyllenhall in the remake of the 2018 “The Guilty“, Andy McDowell is the limited series “Maid” or the prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” – “Army of Thieves” there is plenty of content to keep us nice and entertained this month. Netflix is the power hitter this month as far as watch-worthy streaming content.
Several widely popular Netflix shows also have new seasons coming our way. First is “On My Block” with, sadly the 4th and final season. And then “You” based on the YA novel and in my opinion is probably the best of the Netflix shows to grace the platform this month. Next is “Locke and Key” and “The Baby-Sitters Club” both coming in season 2.
The Guilty – October 1:
The Maid – October 1:
On My Block – Season 4 – October 4:
YOU -Season 3 – October 15:
https://youtu.be/xAN1ThhTWsE
Army of Thieves – October 29:
HBO
Streamers get to take advantage of all Warner Bros 2021 films that gives subscribers the chance to watch theatrical releases the same day (for up to 31 days) on their HBO Max accounts.
For October there are 2 must watch movies, the highly anticipated “Dune” and “The Many Saints of Newark“. For TV Shows, the third season of the dysfunctional Roy family returns in “Succession“.
The Many Saints of Newark – October 1:
Dune – October 22:
Succession -Season 3 – October 17:
Apple TV+
This streaming platform is bringing us Sci-Fi and extraterrestrial extravaganza. The long awaiting adaption of Isaac Asimov in “Foundation” is available to watch. In addition. On October 22nd (when the first 3 episodes will be released), sci-fi fans can experience “Invasion” what it would be like to live through an alien invasion. Joy!
Foundation – Weekly Episodes – available now:
Invasion – Weekly episodes starting October 22:
Amazon Prime
Since October is obviously the month to bring on the season of spookiness, Amazon Prime has made it a priority is bringing some new horror content to the platform. The biggest original series that it will bring is the latest reboot to the classic ’97 slasher movie “I Know What you Did Last Summer”.
Also starting on October 1st – “Welcome to the Blumhouse” features a total of 4 horror features: “Bingo Hell” and “Black as Night” and then a week later on October 8, an additional two horror indies ” Madres” and “The Manor”.
If you aren’t in the mood for anything ‘scary’ and rather a music fan, specifically a Bieleber – his documentary is also available on Amazon Prime
I Know What You Did Last Summer (Reboot) – October 15:
Welcome to the Blumhouse: (Black as Night and Bingo Hell -October 1 & The Manor and Madres – October 8):
Trickster god Loki, show dedicated to the brother of Thor
Spinoff series from Marvel out today is Loki, which will premiere on, where else, Disney+ , originally slated to start June 11, 2021 is is now available with a new episode coming each Wednesday. The only way to watch Loki on Disney, currently, is via subscription. In the new trailer below Tom Hiddleston appears as the title character and the clip reveals just a bit more about his new role.
Taking place in a Marvel-esque alternative universe, with a shadow of Umbrella Academy attitude we see Loki approached by Mobius, embodied by the inimitable Owen Wilson, the upshot helps to put right the timeline that was disturbed via the Tesseract influence from The Infinity Saga
Loki takes the Marvel universe into yet another version of alternative directions, and yet it manages to feel fully believable within its own invented genre.
During the 2021 Disney+ Winter TCA Press Conference, the panel unloaded some major content coming to the streaming platform this spring. Just coming this March, there will be no shortage of content to choose from; a handful of new TV shows and movies, a Premiere Access movie debut and a season finale.
Kicking off the month, on March 5, “Raya and the Last Dragon” the theatrical release/Premier Access animated movie inspired by Southeast Asian folklore. The movie will not be available under the base tier for Disney+ subscribers as there will be an additional charge for access for those subscribers.
Rest assured, there are also many more on the way, with a preview, below, of free-with-subscription new TV shows and movies coming soon.
Next up are for all those Superhero fans, particularly the Avengers , we can look forward to the upcoming “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Marvel Studios: Legends” and (crying) the season finale of “WandaVision”.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – March 19:
The new series will premiere March 19, 2021 a spinoff starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as their reprised roles of The Falcon and Bucky Barnes. The show will follow the events from “Avengers: Endgame”.
Marvel Studios: Legends – March 12:
The series will feature different characters in the Marvel Universe and debut on March 12, 2021.
“WandaVision” fans, no need to fret, aside from Wanda and Vision kicking off the first episode of “Legends” there will also be more content with Wanda, Vision and Agnes a week after the finale (March 5th with “Assembled: The Making of WandaVision” showcasing behind-the-scenes on the inspiration and challenges of the show.
Mighty Ducks: Game Changer – March 26:
Also dropping at the end of March, the moving picking up on the iconic blast from the past movie “Mighty Ducks”. Emilio Estevez is back as Coach Gordon Bombay to lead a whole new group of skaters in “Game Changers”.
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Much to look forward to in May and June 2021
Other exciting streaming titles that Disney+ recently dropped include premiere dates coming later in the spring including “StarWars: The Bad Batch” coming May 4th and Marvel Studio’ “Loki” staring June 11.
Scarlett Johansson will make her first solo movie as the iconic character ‘Black Widow’ aka Natasha Romanoff, as well as set out to be the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” has already been delayed, originally set for release in May 2020 and pushed again to December, a year later is now slated for the new release date of May 7, 2021. With the pattern of postponements to the film, another delay would not be much of a surprise.
There has also been been rumors that Disney will not even release the film on Disney+ and rather only roll out on theaters. If there will be a streaming option, based on speculative reports, it would only be via Premiere Access and cost an additional fee from monthly subscription. There has yet to be any comment from Disney regarding the rollout, we anticipate updates and confirmations closer to spring.
Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour portrays Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz is Melina. The film is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.
The runtime for “Black Widow” has been announced by Disney, and it is pretty big, or rather long, it will be the longest Marvel movie (aside from Avengers) in over 3 years. The total movie time is set for 2 hours and 133 minutes.
The action-packed spy thriller Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Emilio Estevez is back and coming to Disney+, he will reprise his role from “Mighty Ducks” as hockey coach Gordon Bombay. A new trailer just dropped the trailer and release date.
Set in present day in Minnesota, the new TV show based on the iconic movie takes place 30 years after the Mighty Ducks first took to the ice. Unlike the movie, where the young hockey players were underdogs, this time around they are an ultra-competitive team. Enter, young hockey player Evan, who gets cut from the team for not being good enough. Evan’s mom, Alex, played by Lauren Graham sets out to form a new team for any “misfits”.
The new series will have a total of 10-episodes for the first season. Disney+ will premier “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” on March 26, 2021.
As the year gets it’s “legs” more and more often there’s a fresh batch of streaming releases popping up. There are so many different platforms where you can stream: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and on and on.
Not only are there a lot of different platforms with various pricing plans and specialties, for example on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video there are tons of videos available as pay-per-view (with an uncharge that can be significant), while Netflix is all included (and therefore has a more limited choice).
Add onto all that the fact that each platform is trying to win your attention and loyalty by producing and acquiring new content as often as possible. So, to make things a little bit easier, we’ve gathered some of the notable new and upcoming releases for one platform (and others in our similar articles on the various platforms).
Here’s the news on what will be available to watch on Disney+.
Pixar Popcorn
The series follow everyone’s favorite Pixar characters in shorts, including from movies: “Toy Story”, “Finding Nemo”, “The Incredible”, “Cars”, “Coco” and more .
WandaVision
Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Wanda and Vision are living in an the idealized suburbs, hiding their super-powers from everyone around them, when the two begin to suspect that everything is not what it seams. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Evan Peters and Kat Dennings.
Isle of Dogs
Directed by Wes Anderson, this animated film is about when, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture. With voices from big name actors including: Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton.
Wild Uganda
Above: Wild Uganda / NatGeo
From NatGeo: Uganda is still what travelers consider an ‘insider tip’. Off the tourist map, a place still in the shadows of its past. Visitors, including scientists and conservationists, had a difficult time in the civil war-stricken country. Poaching had endangered many of Uganda’s most iconic animals including Mountain gorillas, cave elephants, the chimpanzees and even the tree-dwelling lions. But now the national parks have been restored and Uganda’s wildlife is once again thriving. This is a celebration of their survival.
Upcoming slate for Apple TV+ Reveals gradual upward slope to content
Until now Apple TV+ is still a bit of an also-ran. With Disney having an incredible run and HBO max making waves with its new Warner Brothers deal, even as Netflix and Amazon continue to ramble on, Apple’s premium streaming service seems almost like an underdog.
One thing about Apple, though, they rarely go into anything without a lot of planning. In this case with upfront investments of over $6 billion, anyone signing up now, or still taking advantage of the free subscription offers, can rest assured there will be a steady stream (sorry) of new content arriving for the foreseeable future.
Not everything gets announced and given a firm release date in advance, with the production schedules still in a bit of chaos, but we’ve made a list of what will be coming up soon. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page if you want to see the shows that are already released and can be seen immediately.
Apple TV+ is releasing new movies in the next few months. “Losing Alice”, “Palmer”, “Cherry”, and Billie Eilish documentary “The World’s A Little Blurry” have been announced so far, please check out the trailers below:
Losing Alice / January 22, 2021
“Losing Alice” is a thrilling cinematic journey that uses flashbacks and flash-forwards in a satisfyingly complex narrative that takes the viewer through the conscious and subconscious of its protagonist’s mind. The series follows Alice (played by Ayelet Zurer), a 48-year-old female film director, who feels irrelevant since raising her family. After a brief encounter on the train, she becomes obsessed with a 24-year-old screenwriter femme fatale, Sophie (played by Lihi Kornowski), and eventually surrenders her moral integrity in order to achieve power, relevance and success. Through the prism of this female Faust, the series explores issues such as jealousy, guilt, fear of aging, and the complex relationships women have among themselves and each other. But above all, “Losing Alice” is a love letter for the still-too-rare female director.
Palmer / January 29, 2021
After 12 years in prison, former high school football star Eddie Palmer returns home to put his life back together—and forms an unlikely bond with Sam, an outcast boy from a troubled home. But Eddie’s past threatens to ruin his new life and family.
The World’s A Little Blurry / February 26, 2021
“Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry” tells the true coming-of-age story of the singer-songwriter and her rise to global superstardom. From award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler, the documentary offers a deeply intimate look at this extraordinary teenager’s journey, at just 17 years old, navigating life on the road, on stage, and at home with her family, while writing, recording and releasing her debut album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?”
Cherry / March 12, 2021
CHERRY follows the wild journey of a disenfranchised young man from Ohio who meets the love of his life, only to risk losing her through a series of bad decisions and challenging life circumstances. Inspired by the best-selling novel of the same name, CHERRY features Tom Holland in the title role, as an unhinged character who drifts from dropping out of college to serving in Iraq as an army medic and is only anchored by his one true love Emily (Ciara Bravo). When Cherry returns home a war hero, he battles the demons of undiagnosed PTSD and spirals into drug addiction, surrounding himself with a menagerie of depraved misfits. Draining his finances, Cherry turns to bank robbing to fund his addiction, shattering his relationship with Emily along the way. Brought to the screen in bold, gritty fashion by visionary directors Anthony and Joe Russo, CHERRY is a darkly humorous, unflinching coming-of-age story of a man on a universal quest for purpose and human connection.
And here are the shows available to watch on AppleTV+ right now
Streaming Wars heating up and Disney+ lets loose the First Salvo
Disney+ launched in early November, and it quickly became a major contender in the world of streaming. Achieving over 10 million subscribers within a single day, the Walt Disney Company’s new site entered the streaming war with a bang, immediately establishing itself as a fierce competitor with other services such as Amazon, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Netflix.
As of right now, Netflix still reigns supreme as the most popular streaming service out there. However, Disney+ recently got their first leg-up on the streaming frontrunner, as their original series “The Mandalorian” topped Netflix’s “Stranger Things” as the most in-demand series in America according to Parrot Analytics.
“Stranger Things” Season 3 came out this past July, and it swiftly broke records as the most highly-demanded direct-to-streaming show ever created. The show then held the number one spot for an astounding twenty-one weeks. After just three episodes, though, “The Mandalorian” reached 100 million demand expressions, besting Netflix’s record and leaving the cross-generational sci-fi bildungsroman “Stranger Things” in the dust.
“The Mandalorian” was one of the most highly anticipated shows of 2019 well before Disney+ launched. An original program for the streaming service, “The Mandalorian” is also the first live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe. It thus has a built in fan base as well as a talented cast and crew—including “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau as executive producer and “Game of Thrones” actor Pedro Pascal playing the titular bounty-hunter protagonist.
Baby Yoda is a Meme Factory already and may be Christmas Merch Hit
What is really leading the “The Mandalorian” to success, however, is the sensational “Baby Yoda” character, who debuted in the opening episode and has since become an integral part of the plot. The wide-eyed, adorable alien has ambiguous origins, but he looks like an infant version of the legendary Jedi Master Yoda, and he is effectively stealing the hearts of audiences everywhere.
Disney did not reveal “Baby Yoda”—actually called “The Child” on the show—until the series premiered. Since then, however, they company has begun capitalizing on his (or her?) cuteness with merchandize, making “The Mandalorian” an even bigger money-maker than it would otherwise be as just a high-demand subscriber magnet for Disney+.
Of course, having more “demand expressions” does not definitively mean that “The Mandalorian” is more popular than “Stranger Things.” Parrot Analytics estimates how highly demanded a show is using audience statistics as well as digital imprint data across multiple media platforms. Essentially, even though Netflix still has more subscribers to watch “Stranger Things” than Disney+ does for “The Mandalorian,” the latter is getting more buzz, appeal, and views altogether.
No Binge Watching as Episodes are Released in Sequence
Unlike Netflix series, which come out with entire seasons at once, “The Mandalorian” is getting released one chapter at a time. The first season will have eight episodes total with the last one premiering on December 27th—and season 2 has already been ordered. Furthermore, Disney+ has many additional original shows lined up for its future, including two more Star Wars series and three Marvel series. “The Mandalorian” is thus a strong starting point for Disney+ and a positive indicator that its subscribers will go up with the more original content it releases.
Netflix, however, is not out of the picture just yet. Although it will be losing a lot of its library as the streaming wars intensify, Netflix has been investing more in original productions lately. The service’s recent movies like “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” and “The Two Popes” have received lots of critical praise. Likewise, “The Crown” came out with Season 3 in early November, creating yet another increase in demand.
Lastly, Netflix already announced “Stranger Things” Season 4, which will likely come out in 2021. A lot could obviously take place between now and then, and there is no guarantee what will happen with Disney+, “The Mandalorian,” or the streaming wars in general before that comes out. Nevertheless, “Stranger Things” is bound to bring Netflix yet another spike in demand when it returns. Let’s just hope the service is still afloat at that time to make the most of it.
Nobody ever doubted that Disney+ would be a success. From the second that the streaming service was announced, almost everyone knew that the website—which offers nearly every film and TV show in the Walt Disney catalogue—would be an enormous step forward for the company.
When Disney+ finally arrived on Tuesday, however, it did not just meet expectations. It immediately surpassed them, surprising even its parent company in the process.
Within twenty-four hours of the website’s launch, Disney+ reached over 10 million subscribers. This is a number that many did not expect Disney+ to reach for at least a year. To put it in perspective, Disney+ already has more subscribers than HBO Now, CBS All-Access, and Showtime… all reputable services that have been in existence for several years. Disney+ surpassed each of them in the course of a single day.
Of course, this is reason for the Walt Disney Company to celebrate. Even at the affordable price of $7 per month or $70 per year, Disney+ is bound to be a financial goldmine for the company.
That being said, not all of the 10 million current subscribers are guaranteed customers. Disney+ offers new members a seven-day free trial, so we can assume that at least a few people will binge for a week and then drop the service once they have to pay. Likewise, Verizon has offered the service for free to some of its users, which could account for some of the people lumped into Disney’s hefty figure.
Nevertheless, not even the higher-ups at Disney anticipated so many people to subscribe on day one. The website’s initial activity was so intense that it actually overwhelmed the service, leaving many users with Error pages and foreboding screens reading “Unable to Connect to Disney+” accompanied by Disney’s very own Wreck-It-Ralph. Over ten thousand reports of this took place on Tuesday, making many subscribers nervous. Luckily, Disney apologized for the inconvenience and swiftly adapted to the unexpectedly large number of patrons.
The service has been running smoothly ever since, offering users everything that it advertised. With very few exceptions, the service has every piece of Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar content along with Disney classics, National Geographic shows, and several original programs, most notably “The Mandalorian,” which is the first ever live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe.
Baby Yoda / Photo / Disney
Do I sound like a Fan? Ok, sorry, you got me
And this is only the beginning! The service promises more originals including “WandaVision,” “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” and “What If…?” under the Marvel banner as well as two more Star Wars series: one focusing on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy and another one focusing on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from “Rogue One.” This is not even to mention all of the original movies, animated content, and pre-released Disney titles that are yet to make their way onto the service. Clearly, the current 10 million subscribers are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
The only ones not celebrating Disney+ right now may be its streaming competitors. While Netflix responded to the Disney’s success with optimism, looking forward to improving their own brand with original content, Amazon, CBS, and other companies of the sort are probably shaking. Likewise, we can imagine that WarnerMedia, Apple, and NBCUniversal, each of whom are about to launch their own streaming services, are sitting on the edges of their seats, fearfully glaring at Disney’s instant accomplishment.
The streaming wars have begun. Many more armies are yet to arrive on the battlefield, but Disney+ has certainly made its presence known. Not even a week into its life, it is striding into combat with confidence, power, and a militia of 10 million soldiers, joyfully armed with a vast inventory of intellectual property that is far from tapped out.
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