News from Disney Investor Day 2020

On Thursday (10th December), Disney held its Investor Day which detailed the corporation's plans for the next couple of years. This meant announcements for upcoming television and film projects, including from television networks like Hulu, FX, ESPN and National Geographic, and media franchises including  Pixar, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So here's a round-up of some of the big news from the event!

DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS & PIXAR

Raya And The Last Dragon - Disney's 59th feature (with Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina voices the title roles) will hit cinemas (where possible) on March 5th 2021, but will also premiere on Disney+ on the same day (as Mulan did earlier in the summer)

Iwájú - Disney Animations will be collaborating with Pan-African entertainment company Kugali to create an all-new, science fiction series set in a futuristic version of Lagos coming to Disney+ in 2022. 

Encanto - Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, Encanto is about a magical family from Colombia who llive in a magical home. Lin-Manuel Miranda has written the music for this film.

Luca - Coming after Soul (which hits Disney+ on Christmas Day), Pixar's next feature film is Luca. Set in Italy, the film is all about two best friends- Luca and Alberto- celebrating an unforgettable summer. It will hit cinemas in June 2021.

Turning Red - Domee Shi (who directed the Oscar-winning animated short Bao) directs Turning Red. Teenager Mei experiences all of the awkwardness of being a teenager, with an added twist: when she gets too excited, she transforms into a giant red panda. It comes to cinemas on March 11th 2022.

Lightyear - Now here's an interesting one. On June 17th 2022, we'll get to see the definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear (the space ranger who inspired the action figure in the Toy Story films). And here's another interesting one: Buzz will be voiced by Chris Evans! 

DISNEY STUDIOS

The cast of the live-action version of The Little Mermaid has been confirmed, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into The Woods):

Also announced was Hocus Pocus 2, directed by Adam Shankman, and a remake of Three Men And A Baby with Zac Efron in the lead.

Night At The Museum is coming to Disney+ in 2021 in a new animated feature

Jungle Cruise, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall and Paul Giamatti, will still be hitting cinemas in July 2021.

A live-action version of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis, has been announced, as has a version of Peter Pan with Jude Law as Captain Hook.

A sequel to 2007's Enchanted- called Disenchanted- will stream exclusively on Disney+ with Amy Adams returning to play Giselle; Sister Act 3 is also in the works with Whoopi Goldberg producing and starring.

STAR WARS

A huge slate of Star Wars TV shows was announced during the event, which will all premiere on Disney+

Rangers Of The New Republic and Ahsoka are two new original series set within the timeline of The Mandalorian; Rosario Dawson, who plays Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, will reprise her role. 

In 2022, there will be an original series based around the character of Cassian Andor- who appeared in Rogue One- with Diego Luna returning to the role (and acting as an executive producer). It will run for 12 episodes.  Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller are joining the cast, as well as Genevieve O’Reilly as rebel leader Mon Mothma.

Ewan McGregor's long-mooted Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off is definitely happening... with Hayden Christensen returning to play Darth Vader opposite him. Set 10 years after the events of Revenge Of The Sith, it's a project that has a lot of people excited.

A few new animated series and features were announced, including The Bad Batch, Visions (a series of shorts that show the Star Wars galaxy through Japanese anime creators), and A Droid Story (where a new hero will get guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO). 

A Lando Calrissian spinoff was also announced, as was The Acolyte which is billed as "a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era"

Disney also confirmed the Star Wars feature to be directed by Taika Waititi, whilst Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) will direct Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

MARVEL STUDIOS

Kevin Feige ended the four-hour event with a bumper load of news regarding Marvel's upcoming slate of television and films.

Starting with the television programmes:

WandaVision -  Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, this series starts streaming from January 15th 2021 on Disney+

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier -  Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, this six-part series starts streaming from March 19th 2021

Loki -  Starring Tom Hiddleston, this crime caper will be released on Disney+ in May 2021

What If...? - The 10-part animated series, which explores what would happen if major moments in the Marvel timeline happened differently (for example, if Peggy Carter had received the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, or if T'Challa had been found by Yondu instead of Star-Lord), hits Disney+ in Summer 2021. Jeffrey Wright plays the Watcher who narrates the show.

Ms. Marvel - This current iteration of Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan, a teenage Pakistani American from New Jersey, and one of the first Muslim characters to headline a Marvel comic) has only been in the comic books since 2014 but will be making her way to the small- and big- screens in 2021 and 2022. The Ms. Marvel TV show will air on Disney+ late 2021.

Hawkeye - Jeremy Renner will play Clint Barton/Hawkeye in this Disney+ original story, alongside Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. Alaqua Cox, Fra Free, and Vera Farmiga will also appear in the show, which does not have a release date as yet. 

She-Hulk - Rumoured for a while, it's now been confirmed that Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany will be bringing Jennifer Walters (a.k.a. She Hulk) to the small screen. Also, it's been confirmed that Tim Roth will return to the MCU for the first time since 2008's The Incredible Hulk to play Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and appearances from current Hulk Mark Ruffalo have also been announced. 

Moon Knight - an original series featuring the detective character described as "a complex vigilante" (which is putting it mildly!) has been greenlit. No casting news or release date has been given, although Oscar Isaac has been attached to the role. 

Secret Invasion - Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury whilst Ben Mendelsohn reprises his Captain Marvel role as the Skrull Talos for this series. No other information has been given so far. 

Ironheart - An original series based on Riri Williams, a teenage engineering student who creates a suit of armour more advanced than Iron Man's, Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk) will play the title role. 

Armor Wars - Don Cheadle returns as James Rhodes/War Machine for a series which shows what happens if Stark technology falls into the wrong hands.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special and I Am Groot - James Gunn returns to write and direct this 2022 holiday special (done on the set of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3), whilst an animated series of shorts featuring Baby Groot will also come to Disney+ 

MCU MOVIES

A lot of interesting news came out for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Confirmation has come that Black Widow will still be hitting cinemas in May 2021, and that Mahershala Ali will be playing Blade in a new film.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - Production has wrapped on the film, which will be released on June 9th 2021. Several new cast members have been officially announced: 

Doctor Who In The Multiverse Of Madness - Some familiar faces will be joining Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme for this Sam Raimi-directed film. Benedict Wong (Wong), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo) will be reprising their roles from the first Doctor Strange film, whilst newcomers to the cast include Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez.  The film will reportedly link to both WandaVision and the third Sony/Marvel Spider-Man film (in which Cumberbatch will appear). March 25th 2022 is the given release date for this film at the moment.  

Thor: Love And Thunder - Again, something that had been long-rumoured but now confirmed: Christian Bale will be joining the MCU! Bale will star opposite Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman as Gorr the God Butcher. The film is due in cinemas May 6th 2022. 

Black Panther 2 - The sequel to the 2018 original will be written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Given the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman earlier this year, the decision has been made not to recast the character of T'Challa. Instead the film will explore the world of Wakanda and the other characters. The film will hit the cinemas on July 8th 2022.  

Captain Marvel 2 - Nia DaCosta (Top Boy, Candyman) takes the director's chair for the sequel to 2019's original. Brie Larson will once again take the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and will be joined by Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. The film is due on November 11th 2022.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania - Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) will direct this threequel, with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer all returning from Ant-Man And The Wasp. Kathryn Newton will join the cast as Cassie Lang, and Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror.

Saving some of the biggest news til last, Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home) will direct a new feature film bringing the Fantastic Four into the MCU. 

OTHER NEWS

An Alien television series is in development at FX Networks, with Noah Hawley (showrunner of Fargo) as showrunner.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been renewed for four more seasons (up to Season 18) which will make it the longest-running live action sitcom in TV history

A Willow TV show, based on the 1988 fantasy action drama of the same name, is in the works and will premiere in 2022. Warwick Davis will reprise his role from the original film, and the pilot episode will be directed by Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Crazy Rich Asians)

Pre-production has begun on the fifth Indiana Jones film. It'll be directed by James Mangold (Le Mans '66, Logan) and hit cinemas in July 2022. 

So, there's a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years!

Ian Holm (1931-2020)

We at The Watchers are saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Ian Holm. The veteran actor of stage and screen passed away today (June 19th 2020) at the age of 88. 

Holm was born in 1931 at the mental institution that his father ran. Inspired to become an actor by seeing a production of Les Misérables at the age of seven, he studied at RADA, graduating in 1953 after two pauses to his studies (one for National Service, the other for an acting tour of America). He found work in Stratford, and became a significant member of the Royal Shakespeare Company when it was founded in 1960. He played Richard III in a BBC adaptation of the RSC's Wars Of The Roses tetralogy to great acclaim. 

On stage, he originated the role of Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming in 1965, reprising his role in the Broadway production (and winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in A Play). He would reprise his role as Lenny for the 1973 film version, directed by Peter Hall. 

He made his first credited film appearance in 1968, playing Gunner Flynn in The Bofors Gun, a drama about the interaction between a squad of soldiers during a single night of guard duty of the titular weapon. Holm would win his first BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film. He went on to play Puck in Peter Hall's 1968 star-studded adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream (opposite David Warner, Helen Mirren, Diana Rigg, Judi Dench, and Ian Richardson) and played President Raymond Poincaré in Oh! What A Lovely War (1969)

Throughout the 1970s, Holm worked steadily in film and television with roles in Nicholas And Alexandra (1971), Mary Queen Of Scots (1971), Young Winston (1972) and Robin And Marian (1976). In 1976, he was playing Hickey in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh when he developed crippling stage fright which meant he quickly withdrew from the production; describing the experience as "a breakdown", Holm stated the experience was "a scar on my memory that will never go away". As such, he only appeared intermittently on stage after that point. 

However, in 1979, Holm would take a film role that would become one of his best-known: Ash in Alien. Alien has a fantastic ensemble cast, but Holm is wonderfully cold as the treacherous crew-member, who is revealed to not only be an android but also to have been aware of the Corporation's plan from the very beginning. His assault on Ripley is difficult to watch, and his final line- "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies"- is just chilling. Alien could have just been a schlocky B-movie, but its acting elevates it to something greater, and that's thanks in no small part to Holm's nuanced and creepy performance. 

Holm's next film role would see him receive his only Oscar nomination- for Best Supporting Actor- in Chariots Of Fire (1981). The story of the rivalry between Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) as they compete at the 1924 Paris Olympics is a well-beloved classic of British cinema. But it's Holm's performance as professional athletics coach Sam Mussabini (who helped to train Abrahams to win an Olympic gold medal for the 100m sprint) that gained the majority of the acting plaudits for the film; although it would win four Oscars- including Best Picture- Holm he didn't win the Oscar; that went to fellow Brit John Gielgud for Arthur. He did, however, win his second BAFTA for the role.

Other roles for Holm in the 1980s include Napoleon Bonaparte in Time Bandits (1981), Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes (1984) [which gained him a third BAFTA Film Award nomination], Mr. Kurtzmann in Brazil (1985), Desmond Cussen in Dance With A Stranger (1985), and Captain Fluellen in Henry V (1989). In 1984, he was considered for the role of the villainous Morgus in the Doctor Who serial The Caves Of Androzani- Peter Davison's last story as The Doctor- which was eventually played by John Normington (with whom Holm co-starred in A Midsummer Night's Dream). He also played Frodo Baggins in the 1981 BBC radio adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings. 

Holm started the 1990s in another Shakespeare adaptation, playing the ill-fated Polonius in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990) alongside Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, and Alan Bates. He also appeared in Naked Lunch (1991), The Hour Of The Pig (1993), Frankenstein (1994) as Victor's father, Dr. Willis in The Madness Of King George (1994), Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element (1997), A Life Less Ordinary (1997) as Naville, and as Kiri Vinokur in eXistenZ (1999). 

He took a rare lead role in Atom Egoyan's 1997 drama The Sweet Hereafter, playing lawyer Mitchell Stephens who persuades the grieving parents of a small town to bring a class action lawsuit against the town and bus company which caused the death of 14 children. He was a last minute replacement for Donald Sutherland, who was originally cast but withdrew. 

In 1997, Holm made a rare return to the stage, playing the lead role in King Lear at the National Theatre in London. Winning the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his intense turn as Lear, a version of the play was recorded in 1998 and broadcast on the BBC and on PBS in America. He would also receive his first Primetime Emmy nomination for his performance. 

Moving in to the 21st century, he would get a second Emmy nomination for his role as Patrick, the drummer in an all-girl swing band (he dressed as a woman to avoid having to go to war), in TV movie The Last Of The Blonde Bombshells. He also played Sir William Gull in From Hell (2001), the adaptation of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's graphic novel about the search for Jack The Ripper. He also had roles in The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Aviator (2004) and Lord Of War (2005). In 2007, he provided the voice for Chef Skinner in the Pixar movie Ratatouille, and would win an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting. 

The role for which Holm will probably be most remembered for, though, comes in 2001 and continues to 2014 as he plays the role of Bilbo Baggins for Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. He appears in four of the six films: The Fellowship Of The Ring- where his sudden possession by the One Ring provides an unexpected scare; The Return Of The King, where he takes his leave and heads into the west during one of the film's many endings; An Unexpected Journey, where he introduces the story to Frodo; and The Battle Of The Five Armies, which bookends his tale. His appearance in the latter film is Holm's final film credit. 

Holm was an incredibly capable and reliable character actor whose presence would give a scene some dignity and gravitas. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and children at this difficult time. 

Sir John Hurt (1940-2017)

We at the Watchers are very sad to report the death of acting legend Sir John Hurt, who has passed away at the age of 77. 

In a career spanning six decades, Hurt had an amazingly diverse filmography, taking in sci-fi, horror, fantasy, drama and comedy, all done with style. His deep rich voice was distinctive and instantly recognisable.  

Born in 1940 in Chesterfield, Hurt was originally encouraged by his parents to become an art teacher, so he enrolled at Grimsby Art School and later won a scholarship to study at St Martin's School of Art in London. In 1960, he won a scholarship to RADA and studied there for two years, making his film debut in 1962 as Phil Corbett in The Wild And The Willing. In 1966, he had his first major film role, playing Richard Rich in A Man For All Seasons opposite Paul Scofield and Wendy Hiller. In 1971, he played the ill-fated Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place to great acclaim and was nominated for his first BAFTA film award for the role.

In 1975, Hurt took the role of the flamboyant writer Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant, a television adaptation of Crisp's autobiography. In a career as vast as Hurt's, this is one role he is best known for although was initially warned against taking such a controversial role saying it might end his career. In fact, nothing could have been further from the truth. He won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for his role and reprised his role in 2009 for An Englishman In New York, chronicling Crisp's later years.

After a spectacular turn as the Roman emperor Caligula in the TV mini-series I, Claudius, Hurt then went on to star in Alan Parker's 1978 film Midnight Express as an English heroin addict incarcerated in a Turkish jail. He won a BAFTA Film Award and a Golden Globe for his supporting turn and also gained his first Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actor), although he lost to Christopher Walken (for The Deer Hunter). Also in 1978, he provided the voice of Aragorn for an animated version of The Lord Of The Rings and the voice of Hazel for the animated version of Watership Down. 

In 1979, he was part of one of the most iconic and shocking moments in cinema history: the chest-burster scene in Alien.There appears to be some truth in the urban legend that only he and the crew knew what was going to happen- apparently the cast were informed that the alien would appear but not how much blood there would be or where it would go (Veronica Cartwright's reaction is for real). Hurt parodied the scene several years later in Spaceballs.

In 1980, he was nominated for his second Oscar (this time for Best Actor) for his lead role in The Elephant Man, playing the deformed John Merrick. He won his second BAFTA Film Award and was also nominated for the Golden Globe for this role (although lost out on the Oscar to Robert De Niro for Raging Bull). The detailed make-up took between seven to eight hours to apply and two to remove, meaning Hurt would often arrive on set at 5am and not leave until midnight. After his first day in the make-up, he allegedly called his wife at the time, saying, "I think they finally managed to make me hate acting."

He also played The Fool to Laurence Olivier's King Lear and played a brilliant Winston Smith in Michael Radford's adaptation of 1984. He provided the voice of the Horned King in The Black Cauldron, played The Storyteller in Jim Henson's series of the same name and finished off the Eighties by playing Stephen Ward in Scandal, the film about the Profumo Affair. Throughout the 1990s, he appeared in films as diverse as The Field, Rob Roy, King Ralph, Love And Death On Long Island, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and Contact.

In 2001, Hurt appeared as wand-maker Mr Ollivander in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (and would go on to reprise his role in both Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows films). He also appeared as Professor Bruttenholm in both Hellboy films. He appeared in thrillers The Skeleton Key and The Oxford Murders, narrated Lars Von Trier's Dogville and Manderlay and put in a towering performance as Chancellor Adam Sutler in the rather brilliant V For Vendetta.

In 2008, Hurt provided the voice of The Great Dragon for the television series Merlin which ran for five series and then put in a ferocious turn as the foul-mouthed Old Man Peanut in crime thriller 44 Inch Chest, a film which truly has to be seen to be believed. He was also the lead in the chilling Whistle And I'll Come To You (based on the M.R. James short story) then appeared in Melancholia and as Control in the 2011 version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He also appeared as Christopher Marlowe in Jim Jarmusch's vampire drama Only Lovers Left Alive.

In 2013, Hurt surprised a lot of people by taking a role in Doctor Who. The surprise was made even more by the reveal that he would be playing... The Doctor! To cover Christopher Eccleston's refusal to appear in the fiftieth anniversary special, a new character was created- a regeneration of the Doctor which he doesn't speak about, known only as The War Doctor- which was played by Hurt. As a grizzled veteran of the Time War, determined to say 'no more', he is superb as a world-weary old soldier. Hurt has reprised his role as the War Doctor for several audio stories by Big Finish. 

One of his last film roles was in Jackie, as the Priest who counsels the former First Lady through her grief. At the time of his passing, he has several projects still in production, including playing Neville Chamberlain opposite Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

In 2012, Hurt was awarded a BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema and was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama. 

A brilliant actor who will be much missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Rhys, Matt & Tez
The Watchers

Alien (1979)

With the release of Prometheus, it seemed a good time to take a look back to the very beginning of the franchise with Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror Alien.

The plot is basic: the seven-strong crew of the deep-space mining ship Nostromo make a detour to a planet to investigate a strange signal. Whilst on the planet, a member of crew is attacked by an alien being and has to be quarantined when back on the ship. However, the true horror begins when it is discovered that a deadly creature has stowed away on board the Nostromo and it becomes a fight to the death for the crew. But, in the true traditions of horror movies, not all will make it out alive…

Frankly, Alien has no right to be as good as it is. It is, in essence, a B-Movie haunted house picture set in space. But due to skilful direction by Scott, a brace of terrific performances across the board and some truly masterful strokes of design, the film transcends its commonplace beginning to become one of the most influential and highly thought of films of the 1970s and a seminal work in the study of horror.

Rewatching it recently after many years, it is a pleasant surprise that the film still stands up. It’s painfully slow in places- there’s no dialogue for the first six minutes, for example, and the scene where Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) goes after Jones the cat and meets his end is almost unbearable in places- but rather than fostering a sense of boredom, you are absolutely riveted to the screen.

The film is responsible for some of the most iconic moments in horror movies, most notably the ‘chest-burster’ scene which (even now) is shocking. Much like the fake scare at the end of Carrie, I know it’s coming but I still jump every time the alien pops out of Kane’s chest. The atmosphere of terror and confusion is only part acting; the legend persists that only Ridley Scott and John Hurt (who played Kane) knew exactly what was going to happen during the scene. This seems to be true in part; the full extent of the blood and gore seems not to have been known, so when Veronica Cartwright (who played Lambert) gets hit by a spurt of blood, her reaction is accurate and unplanned.

Because the film takes its time to introduce the true terror (the chest-burster scene is approximately forty-five minutes in), you do find yourself empathising with the characters, which means their deaths carry much more of an emotional response. Similarly, the revelation that crew member Ash (a wonderfully cold Ian Holm) has not only been fully aware of the Corporation’s plans from the get-go but is also an android carries a real impact- his final line of ‘you have my sympathies’ is chilling.

This was one of Sigourney Weaver’s first films- following a small role in Annie Hall- and, much like Anthony Perkins and Norman Bates, has become synonymous with the character of Ripley (although she seems to have escaped the curse of being associated with a single character). Ripley is ballsy and certainly holds her own but is by no means truly macho here. The more kick-ass Ripley would be seen in the further films, especially James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens, but here her performance is brilliant, evincing a fragile femininity without ever truly becoming a passive horror-movie cliché ‘victim’.

Alien was nominated for two Academy Awards and rightly won Best Visual Effects. Led by Swiss artist H.R. Giger (whose designs for the main Alien creature have inspired a generation of nightmares), the effects of the film and especially the effects of the creature are just awe-inspiring even thirty-three years down the line. Scott cannily decided against too many full shots of the creature (played by Bolaji Badejo) as he didn’t want to reduce the film to ‘a man in a rubber suit’, so we get a very impressionistic view of the creature initially- the tail, the jaws (and the jaws-within-the-jaws)- making it much more terrifying. Even the confrontation between Ripley and the creature in the escape pod at the film’s final act doesn’t fully show the creature. It remains almost elusive and therefore much more frightening.

The word ‘masterpiece’ gets thrown around a little too liberally for my liking, but for me Alien is a masterpiece. A strong visual style, a committed director, a cast at the height of their powers, real tension, real flair, a damn good script… all elements combined here and has created a film that has endured and will continue to endure.

Tez