‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into Streaming

 A blitz of new projects includes 10 series from the “Star Wars” universe for Disney+, which now has 87 million subscribers. Hulu will also get a major content boost.



LOS ANGELES — In February, Robert A. Iger stepped down as Disney’s chief executive and became executive chairman, saying he would decamp entirely in 2021. But he saw himself as having one final task. “I want to make sure that our creative pipelines are vibrant,” Mr. Iger said in an interview at the time. “That is very, very important, especially as we roll out Disney+ around the world.”

On Thursday, as part of a four-hour investor presentation focused on the future of Disney’s streaming business, Wall Street got a sense of what Mr. Iger was talking about. Never have Disney’s content engines been turbocharged like this.

Disney unveiled a blitz of new “Star Wars” projects, including 10 television shows — two of which will be “Mandalorian” spinoffs, another that will follow C-3PO and R2-D2 — and a new theatrical film, “Rogue Squadron,” directed by Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”). Ms. Jenkins will be the first female filmmaker in the 43-year history of the “Star Wars” movie franchise.

ImagePatty Jenkins will direct a new “Star Wars” movie, “Rogue Squadron,” becoming the franchise’s first female filmmaker.
Credit...Mike Coppola/Getty Images for TNT

At least 15 Disney-branded movies are in the works for Disney+, with new installments in the “Ice Age,” “Night at the Museum,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Sister Act” and “Cheaper by the Dozen” franchises on the way. Amy Adams will star in a sequel to the 2007 musical “Enchanted,” while Tom Hanks will appear as Geppetto in a live-action “Pinocchio.” Multiple sports dramas fill out the slate, including one based on the life of the Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Pixar? It has a cluster of shows en route to Disney+, including one that seeks to revive the “Cars” movie and toy franchise. Marvel? It is chipping in at least 10 series, with “Ms. Marvel,” about a Pakistani-American superhero, as one. National Geographic, another Disney division, also announced a flurry of Disney+ shows, including an endurance-focused series starring Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) and directed by the Oscar-winning Darren Aronofsky.

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