Walt Disney Studios’ D23 Expo always delivers on the juicy genre goodness and this year was no exception with announcements from Disney Live Action, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, alongside Lucas Film, Marvel and plenty more!
So, without any further ado, check out all the genre trailers released at this year’s event and everything else we learned at D23…
Upcoming projects from Disney Live Action
Disenchanted
The first trailer for Disenchanted was shown at D23. The sequel to 2007’s Enchanted, Disenchanted stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays.
The musical comedy picks up 15 years after Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) get married when their family heads to suburbia in search of happily ever after. Directed by Adam Shankman the new movie features new music from the great Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
Disenchanted streams on Disney+ beginning 24 November. Watch the trailer here…
Mufasa: The Lion King
A prequel to The Lion King, Mufasa: The Lion King will be released in 2024. Directed by Barry Jenkins the film will be told in flashbacks, with Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa telling the story of Mufasa to a young lion cub.
Snow White
Out in 2024 and directed by Marc Webb, Snow White is a live-action reimagining of the classic tale starring Rachel Zegler in the title role and Gal Gadot as Snow White’s Stepmother, The Queen.
Peter Pan And Wendy
There will be a new Peter Pan film heading our way next year with Peter Pan And Wendy. It stars Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Alyssa Wapanâtahk as Tiger Lily and none other than Jude Law as Captain Hook.
The new film dives deeper into Wendy’s story as she joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical journey to Neverland and reveals the history behind Peter Pan’s rivalry with one of Disney’s most memorable villains. Directed by David Lowery, the live-action reimagining of the 1953 animated classic begins streaming on Disney+ in 2023.
The Little Mermaid
Our first real look at the live-action version of The Little Mermaid was shown at D23 by director Rob Marshall. Featuring fan-favorite songs plus four new songs penned by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the feature film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as Triton.
The Little Mermaid will be released in cinemas next summer. Watch the teaser trailer here…
Upcoming projects from Pixar Animation
Wish
Disney Animation’s next original feature film will be Wish and is set to release in Autumn 2023, during the Studio’s 100th year.
Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn outlined the story at D23, which is set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true. The film follows 17-year-old Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
The film stars Ariana DeBose as Asha and Alan Tudyk as goat named Valentino. Check out a first look image here…
Upcoming projects from Lucasfilm
Andor
Andor is a 24-episode spy thriller that features one of the central characters in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It stars Genevieve O’Reilly, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona and Cassian Andor himself, Diego Luna. The era featured in Andor —the five years before the events of Rogue One —is filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero. Andor presents Star Wars from a different perspective, focusing on everyday people whose lives are affected by the Empire. The decisions they make have real consequences, and the stakes for them—and the galaxy—couldn’t be higher. The series also stars Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw and Faye Marsay.
The final trailer for the series was shown at D23 and the first three episodes of Season One will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on September 21.
Watch the final trailer below and keep it with SciFiNow for our upcoming EXCLUSIVE interviews with the stars and creator of the series.
Willow
The first trailer for the upcoming Willow series was shown at this year’s D23. A sequel to 1988’s cult classic by George Lucas and Ron Howard, the series stars Warwick Davis returning in the role Willow Ufgood, alongside Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, Ruby Cruz as Kit, Erin Kellyman as Jade, Ellie Bamber as Dove, Dempsey Bryk as Airk, Amar Chadha-Patel as Boorman and Tony Revolori as Graydon. It was also announced at the event that Christian Slater is also a member of the ensemble cast.
Set in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls and other mystical creatures flourish, Willow is the story of an unlikely group of heroes who set off on a dangerous quest, facing their inner demons and coming together to save their world.
Willow begins streaming on Disney+ on 30 November. Watch the trailer here…
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season Two
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will return for a second season with 16 episodes. The new season takes place months after the events on Kamino as the Bad Batch continue their journey navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic. They will cross paths with friends and foes, both new and familiar, as they take on a variety of thrilling mercenary missions that will take them to unexpected and dangerous new places. The series features the voices of Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang.
It was revealed at the event that the series will begin streaming on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on 4 January 2023.
Tales Of The Jedi
A new series was announced at the event with Tales Of The Jedi, alongside its first trailer. The series is six original shorts featuring parables built around Jedi from the prequel era. It will follow lives of two distinctly different Jedi—Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku—each will be put to the test as they make choices that will define their destinies.
All six Original shorts will be streaming on Disney+ on October 26. Watch the trailer here…
The Mandalorian Season Three
Mando’s back! Kinda… The first teaser trailer for The Mandalorian Season Three was shown at the event and reveals plenty about the upcoming season. In the third season of The Mandalorian, the Mandalorian and Grogu have been reunited and continue their journey through the lawless galaxy. Season 3 is set to launch exclusively on Disney+ in 2023 and stars Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris, Giancarlo Esposito and Emily Swallow.
Watch the teaser trailer here…
Upcoming projects from Marvel Studios
Ironheart
Ironheart is a new series that takes place after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Dominique Thorne returns as Riri Williams, a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world. Her unique take on building iron suits is both brilliant and flawed, and Ironheart delves into the dynamics of tech versus magic. The new series is slated for Disney+ next year.
Werewolf By Night
Werewolf By Night is Marvel Studios’ first-ever special presentation and will be streaming on Disney+ on 7 October. It is directed by Michael Giacchino and stars Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly. The teaser trailer for the upcoming special that Kevin Feige called “fun-scary” was shown at the event, and you can watch it below.
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion will launch on Disney+ in 2023 and stars Don Cheadle, who reprises his role of Colonel James Rhodes. The cast includes Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos—plus Olivia Colman (pictured above in one of the series’ first looks), Emilia Clarke and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
The first official trailer was shown at the event, which you can watch right here…
Thunderbolts
The identities of the ‘Thunderbolts’ were unveiled at D23 as Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Sebastian Stan (James “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier) and Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent) joined director Jake Schreier on stage. The esteemed team also features stars Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster) and Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova).
Thunderbolts opens in theaters on July 26, 2024.
For a closer look at Phase 5 and 6 of the MCU, check out of full geek guide here and find more trailers at the SciFiNow YouTube channel.
