LIVE UPDATES! Disney’s Investor’s Day Presentation
Disney is holding their big four-hour Investor’s Day Presentation today – and you can watch it from the comfort of your home! New announcements for Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and more are expected, so it’s definitely worth tuning in for. Here’s how you can watch it as we provide all of the major updates live.
Let’s get right to the point – you can tune in to the presentation here. The event begins at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT; if you need help finding out what that is in your time zone, then this tool should be useful. (Insert your location or time zone into the bracket, and you can use it to find out when your time matches up with the time of the presentation.)
For months, Disney have been hyping up this meeting, which they have stated coincides with their plans to restructure into a more streaming-oriented company. The move was always part of Disney’s plan, but the advent of COVID-19 and the subsequent disruption of the theatrical model that it’s caused has led them to accelerate their corporate transformation. As such, a number of the lay-offs that the mighty entertainment empire has issued factored into this.
All the same, it appears as though they have no intention of giving up on the theatrical industry that they’ve consistently dominated for several years in a row, as they will still be developing a number of new movies for theaters and will reveal new projects today, alongside new announcements for Disney+ project across all of their major brands. Aside from new announcements for future projects and the casts and crew attached to them, Disney are going to delve into their new strategies with streaming domestically and internationally, as speculation for things like an adult tier for Disney+ continues to run rampant.
We will be covering any significant announcements revealed at the event all day right here in this article (make sure to refresh the page from time to time, once the event starts), and will provide more detail in subsequent articles on Star Wars News Net and Movie News Net.
UPDATES!
The New York Times recently shared a report indicating that the event will be monumental for the future of the Star Wars franchise, likely making up for the absence of a Star Wars Celebration event earlier in the year.
Disney is holding their Investor’s Day webcast tomorrow. The first sentence in @nytimes report in regards to what will be revealed:
“A significant expansion of the ‘Star Wars’ universe.”
What will we learn tomorrow? https://t.co/sKsQEoxObh
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) December 10, 2020
The show has not yet started, but Disney, along with Lucasfilm representatives, are hyping up the event. It seems like today will be a good day for Star Wars news.
I'd recommend tuning in. https://t.co/euITxvXW6o pic.twitter.com/vHumnv9r8X
— Matt Martin (@missingwords) December 10, 2020
While this is a Star Wars website, for the sake of efficiency, we’ll be covering all of the major news announcements here as they hit. Without further ado, here are the live updates!
3:10 PM – The panel is about twenty minutes from starting.
3:25 PM – The panel is about five minutes from starting.
3:34 PM – The panel has officially begun.
3:37 PM – Disney CEO Bob Chapek appears to discuss Disney’s shift toward a direct-to-consumer model. Disney+ now has 86.8 million subscribers worldwide as of December 2, 2020.
3:43 PM – Chapek discusses Star as an international streaming service, which will help expand more adult content outside of the standard Disney brand.
3:45 PM – Kareem Daniel explains Disney’s plans to expand their DTC efforts.
3:47 PM – Daniel indicates that there will be content that will be released first through theaters, content released simultaneously between theaters and their streaming platforms, and content released exclusively through streaming. Everything of note will end up on Disney+ eventually.
3:49 PM – Over the next few years, Disney plan to release new 10 Star Wars shows, 10 Marvel shows, and 15 Disney Animation, Disney Live-Action, and Pixar shows, and 15 Disney Animation, Disney Live-Action, and Pixar features.
3:50 PM – Raya and the Last Dragon will be released both in theaters and through Disney+ Premium Access.
3:52 PM – Rebecca Campbell has revealed that Hulu has 38.8 million subscribers, and ESPN+ has 11.5 million subscribers, greatly exceeding Disney’s expectations for where they had hoped to be in 2024. Disney+ will also expand to markets like Eastern Europe, Korea, and Hong Kong.
3:55 PM – Michael Paull reveals that Disney have worked a deal out with Comcast to distribute Disney+ and ESPN+ to their platforms.
3:56 PM – Paull announces a new bundle between Disney+, ESPN+, and an ad-free version of Hulu for $19.99.
3:59 PM – Campbell discusses Disney+Hotstar’s reach in India and its unique features, like live sports coverage.
4:01 PM – Campbell reveals Disney+Star as an international service.
4:02 PM – Jerell Jimerson reveals Disney+Star as an international service available in markets like Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The service will come with a price increase compared to the standard Disney+ model.
4:05 PM – Jimerson notes that parental controls will be necessary to access some content on Star, but the service will appear on Disney+ as the sixth main logo at the top of the Disney+ logo. Star+ will arrive in June 2021 in Latin American markets and will feature many of the same features, but will also cover live sports.
4:10 PM – Kelly Campbell is now discussing Hulu, which has seen a substantial increase in subscriptions in the past three years, coinciding with the Disney-Fox merger. The total of subscribers have doubled since 2017.
4:14 PM – Campbell says that 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures will produce new movies for Hulu. Some ESPN+ content will be coming to Hulu, while the streamer will collaborate more with ABC following the success of recent election coverage.
4:16 PM – Paull indicates that subscribers to ESPN+ have tripled since the start of the service. It is the #1 sports streaming service.
4:16 PM – Paull indicates that subscribers to ESPN+ have tripled since the start of the service. It is the #1 sports streaming service.
4:19 PM – James Pitaro indicates that ESPN will have more of an emphasis on direct-to-consumer content.
4:21 PM – Pitaro announces an exclusive deal with SEC sports such as football, basketball, and baseball.
4:23 PM – Stephen A. Smith will be hosting a new ESPN+ original.
4:24 PM – Peyton Manning hypes up Peyton’s Places, which has been renewed for a third season.
4:25 PM – A short break occurs. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger will host the remainder of the 2 hour and 30 minutes of the presentation.
4:36 PM – Iger appears and discusses Disney’s many acquisitions and their role in creating a massive direct-to-consumer platform.
4:39 PM – Iger reveals a sizzle reel exclusively for investors.
4:42 PM – Dana Walden discusses several television series developed by their various content creators. She announces a slate of Hulu originals, including, Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gómez, along with The Dropout, starring Kate McKinnon, and Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, and Peter Sarsgaard, Nine Perfect Strangers, starring Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, and Regina Hall. Footage for all of these are shown only to investors.
4:49 PM – A new trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale is shown to everyone. A fifth season has officially been ordered.
4:54 PM – John Landgraf discusses FX and the channels partnership with Hulu. Development on several FX shows have resumed development.
4:57 PM – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been renewed for four more seasons. Upcoming FX shows include American Horror Stories, Reservation Dogs, and Y: The Last Man.
5:01 PM – Noah Hawley is developing an Alien TV Series for FX with Ridley Scott’s involvement.
5:05 PM – Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy discusses the success of The Mandalorian, showcasing highlights from the second season so far. Disney has constructed three new Volume sets to speed up development on their live-action slate for Disney+.
5:11 PM – Kennedy confirms that two spin-offs to The Mandalorian, Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka, are in development from Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. Both will intersect and cross over for an event.
5:13 PM – Kennedy discusses Andor, which will be a 2022 release. A special look at the series was shown, showcasing some behind-the-scenes efforts of the show with footage from Rogue One interspersed and all-new concept art.
5:16 PM – Kennedy discusses Kenobi, which will feature Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in what she hypes up as “the rematch of the century”.
5:19 PM – Kennedy reveals the first trailer for The Bad Batch, an animated sequel to The Clone Wars.
5:20 PM – Kennedy reveals Star Wars Visions, an anime showcasing a short animated form.
5:21 PM – Kennedy reveals a Lando series from Justin Simien.
5:23 PM – Kennedy reveals The Acolyte, Leslye Headland’s show. It is set in the High Republic era.
5:24 PM – Kennedy reveals A Droid Story, an animated story with ILM.
5:24 PM – Kennedy discusses Willow, a Disney+ series serving as a sequel to the film of the same name.
5:26 PM – Kennedy confirms that Indiana Jones 5 will be the final film of the series, starring Harrison Ford and director James Mangold.
5:27 PM – Kennedy reveals Children of Blood and Bone, a film adaptation of the book of the same name
5:28 PM – Kennedy reiterates that Taika Waititi will be working on a future Star Wars movie set to his style and tone. Patty Jenkins will be directing a new film, Rogue Squadron, set in a future era of the Galaxy.
5:31 PM – Courteney Monroe has revealed that Cousteau, a new documentary about the ocean explorer.
5:32 PM – Genius will continue on Disney+ with a season about Martin Luther King, Junior.
5:33 PM – A trailer for Secrets of the Whales is showcased.
5:34 PM – A Real Bug’s Life and America the Beautiful are announced.
5:36 PM – Darren Aronofsky is developing Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, which has a trailer.
5:38 PM – Aronofsky is also developing Welcome to Earth with Will Smith, which also received a trailer.
5:43 PM – Walden reveals a trailer for The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, a sequel set decades later.
5:44 PM – Walden also reveals a trailer for Turner and Hooch for investors.
5:47 PM – Walden reveals a trailer for Big Shot.
5:48 PM – A Beauty and the Beast prequel series, starring Luke Evans and Josh Gad, has been announced, with an investors-only trailer revealed.
5:50 PM – Swiss Family Robinson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Mysterious Benedict Society have all been announced, the last of which got a trailer.
5:53 PM – Sean Baily, the chief of Walt Disney Studios, takes center stage. He confirms that Hocus Pocus 2 is in development.
5:55 PM – Safety and a remake of Three Men and a Baby are in development, the latter of which will star Zac Efron.
5:56 PM – Multiple projects based on sports stars are moving forward.
5:57 PM – Flora and Ulysses, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are in development.
5:58 PM – Ice Age: Adventures of the Buck Wild has been announced. Night at the Museum is also getting an animated installment.
6:00 PM – Jungle Cruise is hyped up as the next Pirates of the Caribbean. A quasi-prequel to The Lion King is in development. Rob Marshall is directing The Little Mermaid.
6:02 PM – A live-action/animation hybrid Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers is showcased for investors.
6:05 PM – Robert Zemeckis is directing Pinnochio, which will be a Disney+ exclusive. Peter Pan and Wendy is also headed to the service. A streaming-exclusive sequel to Enchanted is also moving forward with Amy Adams, entitled in Disenchanted. Whoopi Goldberg is set to star in Sister Act 3 for Disney+.
6:06 PM – Cruella, a prequel to 101 Dalmatians, gets a sizzle reel for investors. It will be a Disney+ exclusive.
6:09 PM – Another short break.
6:15 PM – Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee showcases Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney’s first animated movie to be developed from home.
6:18 PM – Disney’s first animated series, Baymax!, serves as a sequel to Big Hero 6, and will be released in early 2022.
6:19 PM – Disney is developing an animated Zootopia spin-off, entitled Zootopia+, and will be released in Spring 2022.
6:20 PM – A follow-up to The Princess and the Frog, entitled Tiana, serves as a long-form animated series in 2023. Moana is also getting a series.
6:20 PM – A follow-up to The Princess and the Frog, entitled Tiana, serves as a long-form animated series in 2023. Moana is also getting a series.
6:21 PM – Iwaju represents a collaboration between Disney Animation and Kugali.
6:23 PM – Encanto is Disney’s sixtieth animated feature.
6:23 PM – Pete Docter introduces Pixar’s offerings, including his latest film, Soul, complete with a new trailer.
6:30 PM – Pete Docter confirms more SparkShorts are in development for Disney+.
6:32 PM – Pixar showcases footage from Dug Days, a series of shorts that are spin-offs to Up.
6:33 PM – An untitled Cars series is in development.
6:34 PM – Docter confirms Win or Lose, their first full-length animated series, is in development.
6:36 PM – Docter showcases the first trailer for their next feature film, Luca, to investors.
6:38 PM – Pixar’s next two films, set for 2022, are Turning Red and Lightyear, the latter of which will serve as the origins of Buzz Lightyear voiced by Chris Evans.
6:40 PM – Kevin Feige takes center stage with Marvel Studios.
6:41 PM – A new trailer for WandaVision has been revealed.
6:42 PM – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will feature America Chavez.
6:43 PM – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gets its first trailer and will be released in March.
6:46 PM – Loki will air in May, with a first trailer officially unveiled.
6:49 PM – What If…?, Marvel’s first animated series, gets its first trailer.
6:52 PM – Ms. Marvel receives a behind-the-scenes first look. Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau will both be appearing in Captain Marvel 2.
6:54 PM – Hawkeye gets a short look confirming the casting.
6:55 PM – She-Hulk will see the return of Tim Roth as the Abomination, alongside Mark Ruffalo as Hulk.
6:56 PM – Secret Invasion, Ironheart, and Armor Wars have all been announced.
6:57 PM – James Gunn is set to direct The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ahead of 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. An animated spin-off, I Am Groot, is also in development.
6:59 PM – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the third movie.
7:00 PM – Chadwick Boseman will not be recast as Black Panther. Black Panther II will still be made and expand upon the character’s world.
7:01 PM – Jon Watts is directing Fantastic Four.
7:05 PM – Disney ends the video with a reel showcasing their many offerings.
7:15 PM – Christine McCarthy offers financial information on Disney’s streaming services. Disney+’s subscription price will go up by one dollar starting in March.
And that’s a wrap! Quite a presentation. There’s likely more to be revealed on the Star Wars front and with others, but today, it’s safe to say that we got to eat good.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
