Disney’s D23 announcements – The Force Awakens, Toy Story 4, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory and more!

If you felt that Comic-Con didn’t lift the lid on Disney’s upcoming works enough than D23 is for you. The expo of all things Disney enlightened us on all of their properties from Star Wars to Pixar to Marvel and all of the studio’s very own animated and live action features. Sadly there’s been no word on the likes of in the works projects such as Wreck-It Ralph 2, Frozen 2 or proposed remakes of Dumbo and Pinocchio. Firstly…

Pixar!

After critical and commercial triumph of Inside Out, the studio is rolling out its slate of six upcoming movies. The Good Dinosaur will tell the story of an alternate reality where humans are the Earth’s secondary species and dinosaurs still rule. It comes from director Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) and stars Anna Paquin (X-Men), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club) and Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading). November 25th 2015

Thirteen years after Finding Nemo, Finding Dory will pick up with the characters of the previous instalment when Dory finds herself in a marine study institute. Newly announced cast members include Hayden Rolence (Whom I Fear), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) and Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Angus MacLane (Toy Story of Terror) direct the cast of Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen), Albert Brooks (Drive), Diane Keaton (The Godfather), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Dominic West (The Wire), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). June 17th 2016

Toy Story 4 is also on the way and a teaser poster graced and it was revealed that it will focus on a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. John Lasseter (Toy Story 1-2) and Josh Cooley (George and AJ) direct while we expect Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Joan Cusack (Say Anything) and Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest) to star. June 16th 2017

Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) has long been developing a film centred on the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead. It has finally been given a release date and a title, Coco. No casting announcements have yet been made. November 22nd 2017

Another sequel on the way is Cars 3. No plot details were offered but we do know that John Lasseter (Cars 1-2) will write and we’d expect Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) and Larry the Cable Guy (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector) to reprise their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater respectively. June 15th 2018

The sequel Pixar fans have actually asking for will finally come out, 15 years after they asked for it. Assuming that the studio don’t want two sequels in the same year, The Incredibles 2 will head for a 2019 release. Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) will direct while we’d expect Craig T Nelson (Poltergeist), Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Samuel L Jackson (Avengers Assemble) to star.

Next up…

Disney Animation!

Disney’s latest animation Zootopia will portray a metropolis populated by mammals. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) were already set to star but the latest addition is pop star/actress Shakira. The directors are Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Jared Bush (behind the creative team of Big Hero 6). March 4th 2016

Next, the team behind Aladdin, Hercules and The Princess and the Frog arrived to unveil more from their latest work, Moana. Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) will star in the story of a plucky young woman who is assisted by a demi-god to reach a fabled island. November 23rd 2016

The newest announcement was Gigantic. Tangled‘s Nathan Greno will collaborate with Frozen’s songwriters, Robert and Kristen Lopez to bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to Spain in the age of exploration. March 9th 2018

Following that was…

Disney live action (aka Worlds, Galaxies and Universes)

True life disaster thriller The Finest Hours will depict the struggle for survival of a group of sailors in 1952. Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) directs with a cast including Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Holliday Grainger (Cinderella) and Eric Bana (Munich). January 29th 2016

The latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was promoted by director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as well as Oscar winning stars Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and newcomer Neel Sethi. The classic story of an orphan raised by the animals of the jungle also stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects) and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter). April 15th 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass will build upon the established world built in the Lewis Carroll books and the Tim Burton’s 2010 billion dollar hit. James Bobin (The Muppets) directs a cast featuring Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Alan Rickman (Die Hard), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Andrew Scott (Pride), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill), Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Lindsay Duncan (About Time), Stephen Fry (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner). May 27th 2016

Next up was the family fantasy adventure Pete’s Dragon, about a young boy who seeks refuge from his family with a dragon. David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) directs while the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Wes Bentley (Interstellar), Karl Urban (Dredd) and Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). August 12th 2016

Two films delivered no material as such but were teased or mentioned. Firstly, Queen of Katwe – a drama about a girl from Uganda who trains to become a world chess champion. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and David Oyelowo (Selma) will star with director Mira Nair (The Namesake). 2016

Also, Disney’s new iteration of Beauty and the Beast was present. The reboot (telling the story of a relationship between a monstrous prince and a young woman) is directed by Bill Condon (Mr Holmes) and stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Josh Gad (Frozen), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wonda), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings). March 17th 2017

Finally, there was news from the fifth instalment of a legendary franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This one will see Captain Jack in search of the trident of Poseidon. Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) was announced to be returning as Will Turner for the first time since 2007. The duo of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) direct an ensemble including Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Brendon Thwaites (Maleficent), David Wenham (300), Stephen Graham (This is England) and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men). July 17th 2017

Marvel

We won’t include Marvel’s full extensive line up but two of their instalments next year. Because of the studio’s infamous secrecy, none of the material shown has made it to the public. Captain America: Civil War showed off its trailer to the D23 audience. Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) direct with a cast including Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Sebastian Stan (Black Swan), Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Tom Holland (The Impossible), William Hurt (Artificial Intelligence) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit). April 29th 2016

Doctor Strange is another of Marvel’s latest. Scott Derickson (Sinister) directs the supernatural thriller of which the recent concept art many likened to Inception. Marvel head Kevin Feige (Iron Man trilogy) could neither confirm or deny the rumours of Rachel McAdams joining the film but we do know that Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). November 4th 2016

Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was heralded by this stunning poster from Drew Struzan – the legendary poster designer who craft iconic works for Back to the Future and Blade Runner. JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) directs a cast including Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Frances Ha) and Max Von Sydow (Shutter Island). December 18th 2015

The first spin-off has had a full title announcement, cast reveals and first still. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has added to its ranks Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Wen Jiang (Devils on the Doorstep) and Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale). Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) will direct with the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), Diego Luna (Elysium), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). December 16th 2017

There wasn’t any news on Star Wars: Episode VIII – directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson and coming out May 26th 2017 – or the Han Solo spin off – directed by 21 Jump Street’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller and coming out May 25th 2018.

It was revealed that the third and final instalment of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars: Episode IX) will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) but the returning cast members are yet to be announced!

Luc Besson’s Valerian announced, new Mad Max title, Ed Zwick in talks for Reacher 2 and first Maze Runner 2 trailer

The latest work of BAFTA nominated French filmaker Luc Besson has been announced. The director of The Big Blue, Nikita, Leon, The Fifth Element and Lucy will helm sci-fi comic book adaptation Valerian. The film will reportedly star Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, Lawless) and Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina, Paper Towns) and is heading for a summer 2017 release.

Action thriller and adaptation of the Lee Child novels Jack Reacher may have been a mild disappointment to some but was a decent box-office hit with $220 million from a $60 million budget. Director Christopher McQuarrie is now preoccupied with Mission: Impossible but a new director is in line for the sequel. Oscar winner Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Glory) is reportedly in talks for Never Go Back which has Tom Cruise (Minority Report, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Edge of Tomorrow) confirmed to reprise his role.

With respectable box office numbers and critical acclaim, action reboot Mad Max: Fury Road is the most talked about film of the moment. Director George Miller (who also helmed the original trilogy has revealed that his plans for Mad Max 5 are going ahead. He’s also announced the current title, Mad Max: The Wasteland. We can expect Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Warrior, Lawless, Locke, The Dark Knight Rises) to reprise his role as Max Rockatansky.

Finally, we have our hands on the first poster and trailer for the sequel to smash hit The Maze Runner. It’s slightly understated in comparison to larger young adult franchises such as The Hunger Games but it easily outgrossed the likes of Divergent with $340 million from a small $35 million. The Scorch Trials is directed by Wes Ball and stars Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), Kaya Scodelario (Moon), Thomas Brodie Sangster (Wolf Hall), Nathalie Emmanuel (Furious 7), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects), Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) and Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island).

Maze Runner: Scorch Trials – September 18th

Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets – July 21st 2017

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – 2017?

Mad Max: The Wasteland – 2018?

Tron 3 is confirmed for Autumn shoot, first look at Maze Runner 2 and Guy Ritchie reveals King Arthur

The follow up to the 1982 sci-fi cult classic Tron had mixed success commercially and critically but Joseph Kosinski has been determined to make a sequel to his Legacy – a film more renowned for the Daft Punk soundtrack. In a surprising announcement, the Oblivion director has confirmed his project is set to shoot this autumn. From what we’ve heard, it sounds as if various cast members, including Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Garrett Hedlund (Unbroken), Olivia Wilde (Rush) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins). Perhaps Michael Sheen (The Queen) can return as his eccentric club owner Castor.

Next today is Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie’s first look on the set of his fantasy epic Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur. The franchise starter will star Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, Sons of Anarchy), Jude Law (Artificial Intelligence, The Aviator), Astrid Berges Frisbey (I Origins), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Guardians of the Galaxy), Mikael Persbrandt (In a Better World, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Eric Bana (Hanna, Munich, Stark Trek).

Sci-fi action The Maze Runner took us all by surprise when it significantly outgrossed fellow young adult flicks Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, despite those film’s great success in the US. The sequel to it, The Scorch Trials, was quickly confirmed and the first stills have been revealed. The plot this time sees the Gladers enduring WCKD’s brutal second challenge. It’ll star Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), Kaya Scodelario (Moon), Thomas Brodie Sangster (Wolf Hall), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) and Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island) with director Wes Ball.

The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials – September 28th

Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur – July 22nd 2016

Tron 3 – 2017

Serkis’ Jungle Book cast revealed and first official Ant-Man still

Two films with identical subject matter going head to head isn’t news. It’s happened before with Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror in 2012, Infamous and Capote in 2005, Deep Impact and Armageddon in 1998 and Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down in 2013. It always seems to end with a defined winner and loser. Rudyard Kipling’s classic fantasy novel The Jungle Book was previously best known for its 1967 animated adaptation but both Disney and Warner Bros have simultaneously decided it’s about time for another iteration. Disney had bounced into the lead in development quickly hiring Iron Man’s Jon Favreau as director and swiftly assembled an exciting cast of Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken; Warners moved on from esteemed director Ron Howard (Rush) to allow The Lord of the Rings/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes star Andy Serkis (second unit director on The Hobbit films) to cast a darker web on the story titled Jungle Book: Origins. Favreau is well liked but Origins was the far favoured of the two. It held back till 2016 and has now unveiled its incredible principal cast.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomi Harris, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Rohand Chand, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan and Peter Mullan are all confirmed for various roles while Serkis himself will hop in front of the camera. Cumberbatch, famed as lead star of TV’s Sherlock as well as supporting roles in War Horse and Star Trek Into Darkness, will play the villainous tiger Shere Khan – (Into Darkness spoiler in next sentence) not the first Khan he’s played. Oscar winning Brit Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Hustle, American Psycho The Fighter, The Machinist) is the reluctant hero, and panther, Bagheera, teaming with Serkis for a second time after The Prestige. Double Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) will portray the hypnotic python Kaa as well as reuniting with The Lord of the Rings co-star Andy Serkis (anyone sensing a theme?).

A trio of greatly underated British thesps have been cast: Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Tyrannosaur) will play the leader of the Wolfpack (not that one) Akela, Eddie Marsan (The Illusionist, Sherlock Holmes) is fellow wolf Vihaan and Tom Hollander (About Time, In the Loop, Pirates of the Caribbean) will play Shere Khan’s jackal mercenary Tabaqui. Naomi Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Skyfall) will play Vihaan’s mate Nisha. The only newcomer is American-born and Asian-descended Rohand Chand as Mowgli. Chand has previously made small appearances in Lone Survivor and The Hundred-Foot Journey but may be best known for playing Adam Sandler’s adopted son in critical disaster Jack and Jill. In my books, the two projects were neck and neck until this point. Origins is not only more promising but may well be an Oscar contender.

Finally today we’re greatly pleased to reveal the very first official still from Marvel’s sci-fi thriller Ant-Man. The has survived a great amount of controversy following the departure of director Edgar Wright, composer Steven Price and three lead stars to at last make it to production in San Francisco. Peyton Reed (Yes Man) directs while Paul Rudd (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Pena (End of Watch), Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street, The Game) star.

Ant-Man – July 17th 2015

Jungle Book: Origins – October 21st 2016