The only louder cheer, accompanied by a standing ovation, was reserved for the company’s CEO Bob Iger. During Iger’s stewardship, the company’s fortunes have turned around significantly, with $US2 billion-plus hits this year, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Despite the teasers, however, Lucasfilm remains Disney’s problem child. Cautious since the creative missteps of the standalone Solo film and the final “sequel” trilogy in the Skywalker saga, the Star Wars movie slate remains frustratingly thin.
Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic in Rogue One.Credit: Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm has confirmed some new films in development, including a film starring Daisy Ridley’s character, Rey Skywalker (née Palpatine), directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and another, from James Mangold, titled The Dawn of the Jedi.
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But many more have crashed in development hyperspace, including a Rogue One fighter squadron film from Patty Jenkins, an untitled Star Wars film from Marvel supremo Kevin Feige, a Boba Fett film from director Josh Trank, a Jabba the Hutt film from Guillermo Del Toro, and and a trilogy from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
With Star Wars reveals put to one side, the Disney-owned animation studio Pixar confirmed a fifth Toy Story film was coming from veteran animation director Andrew Stanton, presented a preview of the upcoming animated science fiction film Elio and announced that a third film in The Incredibles franchise was in development.
Walt Disney Animation Studios boss Jennifer Lee confirmed Frozen III was in production, and all but confirmed it would be followed by Frozen IV. The questions in Anna and Elsa’s story would need two films to answer, she said.
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Frozen III and IV are coming.Credit: Disney
“We are excited to be back in this world, and we would not have this opportunity if it were not for all of you,” Lee told the packed stadium.
The studio also brought the stars of its planned live-action Snow White, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, onto the stage, followed by a preview of one of the story’s iconic songs, Whistle While You Work.
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To get a sense of the scale of D23 as a marketing tool, Frozen III is slated for a 2027 release. Some titles, such as the Marvel series Agatha All Along, are due for imminent release. Other teased projects are years away.
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The Marvel presentation included a number of announcements already made at Comic-Con in San Diego last month, including glimpses of Captain America: Brave New World, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and two new Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars. Footage from Agatha All Along was also screened.
Andrea Feale is dressed as Lego Darth Vader outside the D23 convention.Credit: AP
The stadium also saw performances by the casts of the Broadway productions of Disney-based musicals, including The Lion King and Frozen, and a glimpse of a proposed stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman, based on the 2017 film that starred Australian Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum.
Over the three-day D23 event, fans attend panels, screenings, “cosplay meetups”, step into immersive “activations” based on TV series and films, and pour truckloads of cash through retail stands.
D23 runs until Monday.
