Disney announced plans for their own streaming service this week, placing all Disney and Pixar films on a branded service starting with 2019 releases. However, it’s not clear what Disney plans to do with Lucasfilm and Marvel properties once they begin their own service.
As reported previously, Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned creating a separate streaming service for Lucasfilm and Marvel movies could be an option, but Netflix is not entirely out of the equation yet. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told Reuters the company is still in “active discussions” with Disney about retaining the rights to stream Marvel and Lucasfilm releases after 2019.
It’s also possible Disney will decide to bundle Lucasfilm and Marvel releases into one big streaming service along with their Disney and Pixar releases.
Sarandos said he expects Disney’s streaming service to be “complementary” to Netflix, which already carries many family-friendly titles. He added that Disney’s decision to create their own service is simply a natural evolution for media companies.
Disney’s slate of films for 2019 includes “Frozen 2,” the live-action remake of “The Lion King,” and “Toy Story 4,” which are all highly-anticipated titles.
According to Variety, shares of Netflix dropped 7% this week. Still, Netflix has a separate multi-year deal with Marvel to create original series based on their comics, including “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage.” Those series will not be affected by the upcoming changes.