D23 2019: All the Marvel-related news that Disney has confirmed so far
It's been an emotional week for Marvel fans, but Disney made it clear Friday that the superhero franchise remains a top priority as it announced massive new plans for its film, TV and theme parks divisions.
Here's a roundup of what's been confirmed and what remains up in the air.
On Spider-Man's future: No developments so far
Fans heading into D23 were eager for positive news after learning that a collapsed deal with Sony means that Tom Holland's Spider-Man is, at this point, exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both Holland and Spidey are major crowd-pleasers (his arrival at the climax of "Avengers: Endgame" got one of the biggest in-theater audience reactions of the entire film, and he was seemingly as the next leader a la Tony Stark).
One crushed fan even erected an overnight memorial to Holland as Spider-Man outside the convention.
Reasons why I love Marvel fans: .... 😂😂#D23Expo#SpiderMan@TomHolland1996pic.twitter.com/B4m7KSvID3
— Karishma Shettyᴮᴱ (@paradoxlady25) August 24, 2019
To quote the man himself...
“WHAT THE F—“ pic.twitter.com/7YSotACr4l— Jack Skell-IAN-ton (@iclarke95) August 23, 2019
Director and actor Jon Favreau, who accepted a Disney Legends award earlier on Friday, told Variety that he's "holding out hope" and "being optimistic" that Disney and Sony will eventually be able to work out a deal that keeps Spider-Man safe and sound within the MCU.
Disney theme park additions: Avengers Campus is a go
Disney confirmed at D23 that an expansive Marvel section named Avengers Campus is in the works at Disneyland's California Adventure theme park. It will open in 2020.
Photos from inside the convention detail a massive worldwide rollout that includes an Avengers Campus at Disneyland Paris as well as a "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride, Xanadarian Outpost, coming to Walt Disney World in Orlando.
HELLO, THIS IS THE AVENGERS CAMPUS IN DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE! THIS IS THE “MARVEL” LAND COMING Y’ALL! 🙏🏽✨🖤 pic.twitter.com/FNJqS2pHEF
— Francis🌙 He/Him/His✨ (@francisdominiic) August 23, 2019
More news about the theme park additions are expected to be unveiled on Sunday, including details about what appears to be a Spider-Man themed ride titled "W.E.B. Workshop." The name stands for "World Engineering Brigade," and it's framed as a state-of-the-art facility for inventors building superhero tech.
The plans indicate that despite the messiness with Sony, Spider-Man will very much continue to live on at least within certain spheres of the Marvel franchise.
Multiple Marvel series coming to Disney+
Disney's upcoming streaming service will be home to an impressive collection of new Marvel series.
A "Ms. Marvel" series is in the works, as are "Moon Knight" and "She-Hulk." They join the existing lineup of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," "WandaVision," "Loki" and "Hawkeye," which were announced at San Diego Comic-Con.
Kit Harington is joining the Marvel universe
The "Game of Thrones" alum will be the newest famous face joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which superhero will he portray? That's still to be announced, and it could be before D23 wraps up later this weekend.
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