Pragya Sancheti
After Bob Iger’s February 8 announcement, Disney is putting the brakes on the output of some of its greatest franchises and brands after years of Marvel and Star Wars movies and series inundating screens large and small.
The order to cut expenditures and productivity comes as Disney prepares to release Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17 and The Mandalorian season three on Disney+ on March 1. Marvel is Disney’s most important product provider, the unit with the biggest output — and under Iger’s instruction, it may experience cuts the earliest.
Two Major MCU shows will not be released this year
During the July San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel CEO Kevin Feige slammed the foot to the metal when he announced five Disney+ programs for 2023 — What If…? season two, Echo, Loki season two, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the only safe bets to launch this year are Loki season two and the Samuel L. Jackson-led Secret Invasion.
Even projects that were completed months ago, such as Hawkeye spinoff Echo and Ironheart, are unlikely to appear in 2023 while the studio distributes its material and tinkers in postproduction. And shows under development, such as Nova, are now moving more slowly. “The pace at which we’re putting out the Disney+ shows will change,” warned Feige.
Iger laid out the details and the reason behind delays, “We want the quality on the screen, but we have to look at what they cost us.” Another company insider said, “There is going to be a level of rigor on Marvel and across the entire company. Numbers matter now, and costs are going to be outlined and enforced.”
Fans are heartbroken over delays from MCU
Fans are not happy due to these cuts as Ironheart and Hawkeye spin-off Echo were much-awaited series. Disney’s decision to cut back on the shows and delay them comes from internal criticism of Marvel producing more content with a lack of quantity. Fans believe that shows like Ironheart and Echo might be canceled instead of just delayed.
Geezus am I the only one who's annoyed at this decision.
— uAzile (@tshwa_nelo) February 16, 2023
But then how do they justify the Disney+ subscription? There's simply not enough content, be it Marvel, Star Wars, Pixel, et al, being released at the moment.
— Lee Rowles (@LeeRowles) February 16, 2023
Translation. Cancelled
— father to accomplished psychologist (@elephantbridge) February 16, 2023
No I was exited for ironheart damn pic.twitter.com/KYch3VUmIU
— emanuel (@movie_nerdog) February 16, 2023
They're not gonna save Disney+
— NineteenYam (@19yamer) February 16, 2023
They should stop with those corny humors it breaks the characters build so bad
— Pian (@CypsiripCyp) February 16, 2023
Some fans even question the viability of a Disney subscription if Star Wars and Marvel content are pulled back. Marvel and Star Wars both are major contributors to Disney’s content and with regular releases and exciting content. Fans are getting pissed at Marvel especially after providing the audience with mediocre content.
Loki Season two will stream on Disney+, the release date is not official yet. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will release on 17 February 2023.
Source: Twitter
