Owen Wilson to join Loki series

Owen Wilson, known for his roles in movies such as the Cars and Night at the Museum trilogies, has been reported to be joining Marvel Studios' upcoming Disney+ series Loki.

While Disney and Marvel are keeping both the plot and Wilson's role in it under wraps, we know that filming has started, as star Tom Hiddleston recently posted a video of him on Instagram practicing stunt work.

Loki is due to premiere Spring 2021 exclusively on Disney+.

This week on Disney+ - January 31 2020 - New Originals

It's Friday again, and that means new content has just been added to Disney+! Here are all the new originals added to the service this week.

NEW ORIGINALS THIS WEEK

Diary of a Future President - Episode 3
"Disaster Relief"
"In an attempt to find her 'reason for being', Elena tries to become Hurricane Watch Captain."

Marvel's Hero Project - Episode 13
"Soaring Seamus"
"Seamus gives back to the families of fallen and wounded soldiers through his love of rock climbing."

Lamp Life - Toy Story Short (New!)
"Lamp Life answers the question of what happened to Bo Peep since we last saw her in Toy Story 2. Join Woody and Giggle McDimples as Bo recounts her wild adventures."

One Day at Disney Shorts - Episode 9
"Rob Richards - El Capitan Organist"
"Rob Richards takes us on a historical journey of the Wurlitzer Organ at the El Capitan Theatre."

Disney Family Sundays - Episode 13
"Tangled - Paper Lanterns"
"The Wulf family lights up when they help Amber work on a craft inspired by Disney's Tangled."

Also added to the service this week was Jon Favreau's 2019 remake of The Lion King.

Hong Kong Disneyland joins Shanghai Disneyland in closing indefinitely due to Coronavirus

Just a day after it was announced that Shanghai Disneyland would be closing its doors due to the dangerous spread of Coronavirus, Hong Kong Disneyland announced today that it would be following suit.

Disney released the following statement:

"As a precautionary measure in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong, we are temporarily closing Hong Kong Disneyland park starting from January 26, 2020 out of consideration for the health and safety of our guests and cast members. The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels will remain open. We are in close contact with health authorities and the government about the situation and will announce a reopening date once they determine it is advisable.

The Standard Park Ticket is valid for six months from the purchase date. If needed, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will assist in the refund for guests who have purchased tickets for admission to Hong Kong Disneyland park or have booked a resort hotel. For additional details, please call hotline (852) 1-830-830."

Stay tuned to DisNewsGo for updates on the situation.

Disney announces "Bambi" remake in production

The Disney live-action remake train doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon. Disney announced today that Bambi, Walt Disney's 1942 classic that is often considered among his finest work, is the latest movie to be given the treatment.

Geneva Robertson-Dworet, writer of Captain Marvel, and Lindsey Beer, writer of the yet-to-be-released film Chaos Walking, have been picked to helm the script. The film will also employ the technology used to create the photorealistic animals seen in Jon Favreau's remakes of The Jungle Book and The Lion King.

While Bambi has no release date yet, fans of Disney live-action remakes don't have much longer to wait until the next one: Mulan is due for release on March 27, and movies such as The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Pinocchio are also due to be remade in the coming years. 

This week on Disney+ - January 24 2020 - New originals and news

It's Friday again, and that means new content has just been added to Disney+! Here are all the new originals added to the service this week.

NEW ORIGINALS THIS WEEK

Diary of a Future President - Episode 2
"The New Deal"
"Elena is worried about maintaining her place in the family after learning Gabi has a new boyfriend."

Encore! - Episode 12 (Season Finale)
"Ragtime"
"After 11 years, former classmates reunite to re-stage their high school performance of Ragtime"

The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Episode 12 (Season Finale)
"Jewlery"
"JEWLERY has Jeff Goldblum sparkling with excitement."

Marvel's Hero Project - Episode 12
"High-Kickin' Izzy"
"Izzy proved everyone wrong to become a taekwondo champion, and still gives herself to teach others."

Pick of the Litter - Episode 6 (Season Finale)
"Together at Last"
"The graduating dogs meet with their puppy raisers before they go home with their new partners."

Short Circuit - Full Season (New!)
"If you could tell any story with the team of talented artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios, what would you create? Welcome to Short Circuit, an experimental, innovative program where anyone at the studio can pitch an idea and get selected to create their own short film."

One Day at Disney Shorts - Episode 8
"Este Meza - Lucasfilm Events"
"Lucasfilm's Este Meza blurs reality and fantasy for fans through events and character appearances."

Disney Family Sundays - Episode 12
"Big Hero 6 - First Aid Kit"
"The Gubaney's and Amber team up for a project based on Disney's Big Hero 6."

NEWS THIS WEEK

Fans of The World According to Jeff Goldblum will be pleased, as the series has been renewed for a second season!

Shop Class, a new woodworking series hosted by Justin Long, is set to premiere on February 28.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 7 is set to premiere on February 21. A new trailer was also released. Read more here.

Lamp Life, a new short featuring Bo Peep's story leading up to the events of Toy Story 4, is due for release next Friday. Check out the trailer here.

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings - Season 2 is set to premiere on February 14.

Shanghai Disneyland closed until further notice due to Coronavirus outbreak

Planning a trip to Shanghai Disneyland? You're going to have to wait a bit longer. Starting today, the park is indefinitely closed due to the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus in China.

Disney had this to say:

In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown including Walt Disney Grand Theatre and Wishing Star Park, starting January 25, 2020. We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and be in close contact with the local government, and we will announce the reopening date upon confirmation.

Shanghai Disney Resort will assist in the refund for guests who have purchased tickets for admission to Shanghai Disneyland, have booked a resort hotel, or have booked tickets for Beauty and the Beast Mandarin Production through the original ticket purchase channel, and we will introduce the detailed procedure and guidelines via the resort’s official platforms as soon as possible.

Stay tuned to DisNewsGo for more information on Shanghai Disneyland's re-opening.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series on hold due to script issues

After a week of swirling rumours that the much anticipated Disney+ show about Star Wars fan-favourite character Obi-Wan Kenobi was cancelled, the truth finally came out yesterday: the show is not cancelled, but it has been put on indefinite hold due to script problems.

According to Collider, the team working on the series has been sent home. Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, was reportedly unhappy with the quality of the script and asked for it to be reworked. According to one source, the previous script was very similar to The Mandalorian, featuring Obi-Wan taking care of a young Luke Skywalker.

According to Ewan McGregor, who previously portrayed Kenobi in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and is confirmed to be returning to the series, production has been pushed to 2021 and that the internet has exaggerated the reports. "The scripts are really, really good," he had to say, "and they want to make them better."

This continues a long-running streak of behind-the-scenes problems of Disney's Star Wars movies, although it is the first Disney+ series to have production difficulties. Recently Game of Thrones showrunners David Beinoff and D.B. Weiss were removed from an as-of-yet unknown Star Wars project, and Solo and The Rise of Skywalker infamously had their directors replaced during production.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 trailer and release date revealed

The wait is nearly over! This morning, Disney+ released a trailer and announced the premiere date for the long-anticipated final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The fan-favourite series, which was cancelled in 2013, is being revived for one last season to end off the storyline properly.

The trailer can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLW2jkd6E7g&feature=emb_logo

Also released today was the official poster for the season:

The season begins streaming on February 21 and will run for 12 episodes. There has been no word thus far from Disney or Star Wars on whether the season will be released all at once or if it will adopt the typical Disney+ strategy of releasing a new episode every Friday, though StarWars.com seems to imply it will be the latter, stating that the season will begin on February 21.

Stay tuned to DisNewsGo for more on The Clone Wars and all your other Star Wars and Disney+ news.

Disney+ New Originals - January 17 2020

It's Friday again, and that means new content has just been added to Disney+! Here are all the new originals added to the service this week.

Diary of a Future President - Episode 1 (Series Premiere)
"Hello World"
"Elena's day is full of curveballs as she forgets to do a homework assignment for the first time."

Encore! - Episode 11
"Anything Goes"
"After 44 years, classmates reunite to re-stage their school performance of Anything Goes."

The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Episode 11
"Pools"
"Jeff Goldblum dips into the world of POOLS and their impact on society."

Marvel's Hero Project - Episode 11
"Thrilling Tokata"
"Tokata advocates for other indigenous youth, amplifying their voices through storytelling."

Pick of the Litter - Episode 5
"Meet Your Match"
"The dogs in advanced training take their final exams in the hopes of being matched with clients."

One Day at Disney Shorts - Episode 7
"Jose Zelaya - Character Designer"
"Character designer Jose Zelaya creates some of Disney Channel's favourite characters."

Disney Family Sundays - Episode 11
"Hercules - Obstacle Course"
"The Mai family is right on target with this craft inspired by Disney's Hercules."

Fans of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will be happy to know that Season 1 isn't quite finished yet, as this week new bonus features and a sing-along mode were both made available today.

Also new this week include many National Geographic series such as America's National Parks and Dog: Impossible, as well as the Disney XD series Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja.

Black Widow - New Special Look

Marvel Studios released a new special look at Black Widow tonight. It can be found in the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1eykFE1fSA

They also released a small featurette with Scarlett Johansson and producer Kevin Feige talking about the character and the long road to the movie, which can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBYfrOG83Wc

Black Widow releases on May 1st.

Every Disney Oscar nomination - 2020

The nominees for this year's Oscars were released today, and as usual, Disney has several movies up for contention in many of the smaller categories, as well as a Best Picture nominee for a movie released under the 20th Century Fox branding. Below is the full list:

Ad Astra
Best Sound Mixing - Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano

Avengers: Endgame
Best Visual Effects - Dan DeLeeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick

Breakthrough
Best Original Song - "I'm Standing With You" - Diane Warren

Frozen II
Best Original Song - "Into the Unknown" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Ford v. Ferrari
Best Picture - Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and James Mangold
Best Film Editing - Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker
Best Sound Editing - Donald Sylvester
Best Sound Mixing - Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow

The Lion King
Best Visual Effects - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Elliot Newman

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White

Pixar SparkShorts
Best Animated Short - "Kitbull" - Rosanna Sullivan and Kathryn Henderson

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Original Score - John Williams
Best Sound Editing - Matthew Wood and David Acord
Best Visual Effects - Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuhoy

Toy Story 4
Best Animated Feature - Josh Cooley, Jonas Rivera and Mark Nielsen
Best Original Song - "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" - Randy Newman

The Oscars air February 9th on ABC.

Disney+ New Originals - January 10 2020

It's Friday again, and that means new content has just been added to Disney+! Here are all the new originals added to the service this week.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Episode 10 (Season Finale)
"Act Two"
"After a production full of surprises, even more shockers await."

Encore! - Episode 10
"High School Musical"
"After 12 years, alumni reunite to re-stage their high school performance of High School Musical."

The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Episode 10
"Cosmetics"
"Jeff Goldblum faces the truth about COSMETICS and its transformative power."

Marvel's Hero Project - Episode 10
"Spectacular Sidney"
"Sidney empowers other boys, encouraging literacy and bringing awareness to African-American stories."

Pick of the Litter - Episode 4
"Next Level Training"
"The training dogs advance. Amara's fate is determined. Raffi is returned for formal training."

Forky Asks a Question - Episode 10 (Season Finale)
"What is Reading?"
"The energetic Peas-n-a-Pod siblings teach Forky about reading and how it is done, with a little help from Mr. Spell."

SparkShorts - Episode 6 (Season Finale)
"Loop"
"In Loop, two kids at canoe camp find themselves adrift on a lake, unable to move forward until they find a new way to connect and see the world through each other's eyes. This film breaks ground by featuring Pixar's first non-verbal autistic character."

One Day at Disney Shorts - Episode 6
"Modern Family - Cast and Crew"
"The cast and crew of Modern Family describe what it's like to be a part of the infamous clan."

Disney Family Sundays - Episode 10
"Alice in Wonderland - Teacup Lamp"
"The Chaney's join Amber for a craft inspired by Disney's Alice in Wonderland."

The 2019 live-action Aladdin remake also arrived on the service this week.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness loses director Scott Derrickson

Scott Derrickson, director of Marvel Studios' 2016 film Doctor Strange, announced today he would no longer be directing the upcoming sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He tweeted that the parting was "due to creative differences" and that he would remain on the project as executive producer. According to reports this will not delay the film, as filming is expected to commence in May.

Some online are theorizing that the unspecified "creative differences" had to do with a disagreement over the horror elements Derrickson talked about at D23 2019 and Marvel executive producer Kevin Feige downplayed in a recent interview. Marvel has not commented on the situation.

This isn't the first blow Marvel Studios has had in recent years. In 2018 Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was fired over controversial tweets, although he was later re-hired to helm the third installment of the franchise.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is due in theatres May 7, 2021.

R2-D2 to begin appearing in Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Disneyland Resort guests will be in a surprise when they visit Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge soon: R2-D2, the Skywalker family's faithful astromech droid, has begun making appearances as an interactive character! This is the first new addition to Galaxy's Edge aside from what was originally announced, although roaming droids have been in the plan since the beginning.

There is currently no word if R2-D2 will begin making appearances at Hollywood Studios. Disneyland guests visiting Galaxy's Edge can also look forward to the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on January 17.

Avatar 2 - First concept art revealed

The Avatar official social media account revealed the first concept art to the long-awaited sequel early this morning. They came with this statement:

"In the Avatar sequels, you won't just return to Pandora - you'll explore new parts of the world."

Avatar 2 is set to release on December 18, 2021, and will be the first of four upcoming sequels to the 2009 smash hit.

According to sources, next Star Wars trilogy to be set 400 years prior to Skywalker Saga

According to Jason Ward of makingstarwars.net, the next Star Wars trilogy will be set during the era of the High Republic, 400 years before the Skywalker Saga begins. According to Ward, the saga will be set during a time where the infamous Sith "Rule of Two" has already been put in place and we will meet a 400-year old Yoda, who will be very different from the character we know. It will also reportedly not be a true trilogy, rather three movies more in line with the "Star Wars Story" line of films that will tie in with each other along the way.

This project is also supposedly the one that was meant to be helmed by D.B. Weiss and David Beinoff before they left the project. Ward also states the the design and aesthetic will be both new and familiar, allowing for a fresh start for the franchise similar to the prequel trilogy.

As a rumour, please take this news with a grain of salt, but with many fans speculating that Disney would be looking to the Legends canon Old Republic stories for inspiration to where Star Wars will go next, this is a very exciting possibility.

The next three Star Wars movies are due in theaters December 2022, 2024 and 2026.

Disney Parks - Sam Eagle of The Muppets to host Epcot's new Regal Eagle Smokehouse

Disney revealed today that the Regal Eagle Smokehouse, the new restaurant that will be soon taking the place of the Liberty Inn at Epcot's American Adventure pavilion, will be headlined by none other than Sam Eagle of The Muppets. According to the restaurant's backstory, Sam will be hosting a patriotic cook-off that the guests can sample tasty barbecue meals from. Sam will also be incorporated in merchandise exclusively available at The American Adventure.

Sam Eagle is no stranger to Walt Disney World, playing a major role in Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney's Hollywood Studios and appearing in The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History at the Magic Kingdom.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse is set to open at Epcot this winter.

Disney+ New Originals - January 3 2020

It's Friday again, and that means new content has just been added to Disney+! Here are all the new originals added to the service this week.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Episode 9
"Opening Night"
"The cast is all in this together for opening night but, of course, nothing goes as planned."

Encore! - Episode 9
"Pippin"
"After 35 years, former classmates reunite to re-stage their high school production of Pippin."

The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Episode 9
"Coffee"
"Jeff Goldblum is buzzed about COFFEE and the secrets behind its popularity."

Marvel's Hero Project - Episode 9
"Radiant Jayera"
"Jayera works to level the playing field for those who could use support in hard financial times."

Pick of the Litter - Episode 3
"Training Begins"
"After returning to Guide Dogs for the Blind, the dogs begin formal training."

Forky Asks a Question - Episode 9
"What is Cheese?"
"Buttercup, annoyed with all of Forky's questions, speed teaches everything there is."

One Day at Disney Shorts - Episode 5
"Bob Iger - CEO"
"Bob Iger recalls the early days of his career and shares what inspires him as Disney's CEO."

Pixar in Real Life - Episode 3
"WALL-E - Lost and Found"
"People help a woman who lost her wedding ring and get a friendly surprise they won't forget!"

Disney Family Sundays - Episode 9
"Inside Out - Memory Balls"
"The Mai family joins Amber for a very memorable craft inspired by Pixar's Inside Out."

Also arriving on the service this week include movies such as Holes, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Cool Runnings, and TV series such as The Proud Family and Austin and Ally.

Disney+ announces new streaming shows and movies in 2020, includes surprising WandaVision news

This morning, Disney+ released a video featuring a first look at some movies and originals coming to the service in 2020. This included a big surprise for those looking forward to Marvel's WandaVision, but it remains to be seen if this was a mistake or an actual reveal.

The new content featured includes:

Movies
Toy Story 4
Penguins
Aladdin (2019) (due January 8)
The Lion King (2019) (due January 28)


Originals
Diary of a Future President (due January 17)
Short Circuit: Experimental Films (due January 24)
Lamp Life (due January 31)
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (due Early 2020)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 7 (due February)
Stargirl (due March 13)
Dolphin Reef
Elephant
Secret Society of Second Born Royals
Rogue Trip
Becoming
Phineas and Ferb: The Movie - Candace Against the Universe
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (due Late 2020)
WandaVision
The Mandalorian - Season 2 (due Fall 2020)
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Season 2
Muppets Now
Lizzie McGuire - Season 3

Marvel's WandaVision, which was previously slated for Early 2021, appears to be ahead of schedule and is being released this year! Of course, this could be an oversight, but I'm sure we'll know more soon enough.

Update: Disney+ is doubling down on WandaVision being released in 2020.