As autumn sets in and the sofa looks ever more inviting, good news arrives from the D23 Expo. Quite a lot of good news actually, in the form of new TV shows, recommissioned series, fresh films and returns to some of the best loved characters in the Disney universe.
D23 – which took place in Anaheim, California, home of Disneyland this weekend – is described as “the ultimate Disney fan event which brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more”, and is sort of a companion event to, say, Comic Con. But what we’ve got our eyes on is the big reveal of all-new Marvel and Star Wars-adjacent productions.
Here’s what went down in Mickey Mouse town this weekend:
The Star Wars world
The Mandalorian
The first trailer for series three arrived and the release date was revealed to be “next year”. Fans will be pleased to see Grogu and Babu Frik make a return.
Tales of The Jedi
This animated series will be made up of six shorts, with three focused on Ahsoka Tano and three on Count Dooku. There’s not long to wait for this one – it hits Disney+ screens on 26 October.
The Bad Batch season 2
People still nursing bad heads from NYE will be please to see a brand new series of The Bad Batch return on 4 January. What can we expect from the squad of elite clone troopers with genetic mutations this time round? Apparently, they’re navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic, and there’s going to be 16 episodes in the series.
Ahsoka
No trailer just yet, but we did get a peek at some brand new images of Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger in this Mandalorian spin-off.
Skeleton Crew
It’s time to welcome Jude Law to the Lucas-verse, who will be appearing in a series set in the era of the High Republic. “I can't quite believe I'm part of this galaxy,” he said at the event.
Marvel Studios
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Still no big reveal as to who the Black Panther is yet – a canny marketing ploy to keep it a close-guarded secret – but instead attendees got to see an all-new clip of Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) in a fight scene with the Dora Milaje.
Ironheart
The very first scenes from the production were screened at the event, and they showed Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) building her first suit at an MIT lab. Her character will first be debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Loki: season 2
Everyone’s favourite god of mischief returns, with Tom Hiddleston arguably at his career best. Everything Everywhere All At Once actor Ke Huy Quan is joining the cast, and the Hiddster was on stage as new footage played of of Loki glitching in and out of time back at the TVA.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
It might be a mouthful of a title, but the excitement was still high for Paul Rudd’s MCU character’s new outing. A short clip of Kang fighting Ant-Man was screened, then Rudd channelled Gwen Stefani as he said of the new film: “This is unlike anything you've seen. This thing is bananas.”
Werewolf By Night
They’re creepy and they’re kooky and altogether spooky – while one Tim Burton-led Halloween film looks set to be the big hitter this autumn, Marvel are getting a look in with their own scary spooktacular. Check out the trailer here, which shows a Hammer Horror black-and-white-style special featuring Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly. Out on Disney+ on 7 October.
Secret Invasion
The secret is out as the trailer for this Samuel L. Jackson fronted series was finally released online, meaning fans get to see Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke's MCU debut. This crossover – which is directly connected to Armor Wars – is about Skrulls living on Earth and also features the stellar talents of Olivia Colman, Don Cheadle, Rege-Jean Page and Martin Freeman.
Hawkeye
A spin-off of Echo (played by Alaqua Cox), the show screened, yep, you guessed it, its first trailer at D23. The superhero is shown meeting Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), and D’Onofrio said he was hyped to see the old duo reunite: “To bring Fisk and Maya back together again was just a thrill… we had some crazy scenes.”
Captain America: New World Order
This was one of the big hitters and the cast of the upcoming movie took a lil' spin across the stage. Meanwhile, MCU boss Kevin Feige revealed that The Incredible Hulk's Blake T. Nelson will return to the MCU after 14 years as the villain The Leader.
The Marvels
It was sizzle reel time as the Brie Larson fronted film was shown as part of a MCU video. The director Nia DaCosta promised that the sequel will be “full comic book madness” and that it “follows how these three people learn to become a team”.
Thunderbolts
Take cover. It was announced there would be a return of the ‘bolts, so expect more David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko and Sebastian Stan.
Daredevil: Born Again
Not much of an update for the new Charlie Cox flick, just the new logo and a snippet in a sizzle reel. Look, you have to take what you’re given at this point.
Lucasfilm world
Indiana Jones: 5
It's been 17 years since the last Indiana Jones film, so will the long wait be worth it? Potentially. A teaser trailer was shown to the crowd at D23 and Harrison Ford – joined by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also stars in the movie – said "Indiana Jones movies are about fantasy and mystery, but they're also about heart. We have a really great story to tell, as well as a movie that will kick your ass,” adding of Waller-Bridge, “I'm very proud to say that this one is fantastic, and this is one of the reasons.”
Willow
Rings of Power and House of the Dragon not enough fantasy for you? Add Willow to your must-watch list then. Warwick Davis stars as the eponymous dwarf sorcerer, and it was revealed at the event that Christian Slater had also come onboard as an un-yet announced character, which he called an “absolute dream come true”. Willow stars on Disney + on 30 November.
Finally, Pixar Animation Studios announced it would venture into long-form storytelling for the first time ever in a Disney+ series, called Win or Lose!, which will be set around a middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game.
