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Sequel mania continues: All the upcoming Disney movies and TV series announced at D23
By Margaret Darby,
3 days ago
Actor Tom Hanks poses for photographers upon arrival at the screening for "Toy Story 4" in London, Sunday, June 16, 2019. Disney recently announced "Toy Story 5" at its D23 conference. | Joel C Ryan
Disney is digging its heels into sequel mania.
At Disney’s D23 conference over the weekend — known as the Ultimate Disney Fan Event — dozens of upcoming movies and TV shows from Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm were unveiled.
The majority of the projects fall under the umbrella of sequel, prequel, spinoff or reboot.
Some of the upcoming projects announced at D23 include: “Toy Story 5,” “Freakier Friday,” “Incredibles 3,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and an “Inside Out” spinoff series.
Disney has experienced noteworthy success through expanding popular franchises. “Inside Out 2,” a Pixar sequel released in June, was a smash at the box office.
The animated movie raked in $155 million at the domestic box office during opening weekend, per Box Office Mojo . “Inside Out 2″ is now dominating the box office as the highest-grossing movie of the year with more than $1.5 billion earnings worldwide.
Also seated in top-performing films of the year is the Marvel sequel “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which currently claims the No. 2 position with over $1 billion in worldwide earnings, per Box Office Mojo .
Disney will continuing riding the wave of sequel, prequel and spinoff success in the coming years as it expands popular franchises, per the D23 conference.
Here are the movies and TV series currently under production and coming soon from Disney.
Pixar Animation Studios
‘Win or Lose’
Pixar’s first-ever original TV series, “Win or Lose,” is coming to Disney+ in late 2024.
The series “follows the intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game. The series reveals what it actually feels like to be in the shoes of each character,” per Disney .
Release date: Dec. 6 on Disney+.
‘Elio’
“Elio” follows a boy who is inadvertently relocated to an unusual planet, where he becomes an ambassador for all things Earth in the strange, new galaxy.
The film is directed by “Coco” co-director Adrian Molina and stars America Ferrera, Jameela Jamil and Zoe Saldaña, per Deadline .
Release date: June 13, 2025.
‘Dream Productions’
An “Inside Out” spinoff series, “Dream Productions,” is landing on Disney+ next year. The series showcases how and where Riley’s dreams are created.
“In the first film, remember we go to Dream Productions to see how Riley’s dreams are made? It semi-explains why they’re so weird. We’ve continued the exploration of the power of dreams and how they affect us in our waking life, as well. So it’s pretty cool,” Pete Doctor, Pixar’s chief creative officer, told Entertainment Weekly .
Release date: 2025 on Disney+.
‘Hoppers’
Pixar is currently working on its next original film, “Hoppers,” an animated movie about the chaos that ensues when a beaver and a man switch brains.
The movie stars Jon Hamm, Bobby Moynihan and Piper Curda. It is set to release in 2026, per Deadline .
Release date: Spring 2026.
‘Toy Story 5′
A fifth installation in the “Toy Story” franchise is currently in the works, and the toys have a new enemy — screens.
“Let’s be real, toys have some serious competition these days with phones, tablets and technology everywhere. This time around, it’s toy meets tech,” writer and director Andrew Stanton said at the D23 expo, per PureWow .
Release date: Summer 2026.
‘Incredibles 3′
A third “Incredibles” movie is currently in production, with writer-director Brad Bird — who led “Incredibles” and the sequel — at the helm of the project.
Few details about the movie have been released, but all original cast members will return to voice their characters, per Variety .
Release date: Currently in production, no official release date.
Walt Disney Studios
Live-action ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’
A first look at “Mufasa: The Lion King” was shared at the D23 conference.
The movie tells Mufasa’s origin story through a series of flashbacks. Audiences will learn how a cub Mufasa and his brother, Scar, transformed from tight-knit siblings to enemies, per Disney .
Release date: Dec. 20.
Live-action ‘Snow White’
Following years of anticipation, Disney’s live-action remake of “Snow White” finally has a release date, and a new teaser trailer.
The trailer, premiered at the D23 conferences, gives audiences a sneak peek of what to expect in the upcoming princess movie.
Release date: March 21, 2025.
Live-action ‘Lilo and Stitch’
The next live-action remake Disney is currently working on is “Lilo and Stitch” — decades after the 2002 animated movie came out.
The live-action version of the movie will be directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, known for directing the Oscar-nominated movie, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” per Variety .
Release date: Summer 2025.
‘Tron: Ares’
The “Tron” franchise is set to expand with “Tron: Ares.” The film stars Jared Leto as Ares, a sophisticated program who leaves the digital world to embark on a dangerous mission in the human world.
The movie also stars Jeff Bridges, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro and Gillian Anderson, per Deadline .
“Tron: Ares” will be scored by Nine Inch Nails, and will feature new songs from the band, per Rolling Stone magazine .
Release date: Oct. 10, 2025.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
The third out of five forecasted sequels on “Avatar” officially has a name and release date.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is coming to theaters in December 2025. James Cameron will return to the franchise to direct the third installation.
“You’ll see a lot more Pandora that you never saw before,” Cameron said at the D23 conference, per Variety . “It’s an insane adventure and a feast for the eyes, but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. ... We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.”
Release date: Dec. 19, 2025.
‘Freakier Friday’
The title for the highly anticipated “Freaky Friday” sequel was revealed by Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis at the D23 conference: “Freakier Friday.”
Details about the film are sparse, but original cast members Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Lucille Song and Rosalind Chao will all return for the sequel, per The Hollywood Reporter .
Release date: 2025.
‘Monster Jam’
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is set to star in a “Monster Jam” movie.
“We got an opportunity here that we could create something that is immersive and cool and fun, and also a live-action experience for our families all around the world, from the POV of these incredible, iconic monster trucks and their very eccentric and crazy drivers,” Johnson said during the D23 conference, per Monster Jam . “Ladies and gentlemen, ‘Monster Jam’ is gonna be a heck of a ride.”
Release date: In production, no official release date.
Disney Animation
‘Zootopia 2′
In “Zootopia 2,″ detective duo Judy and Nick “find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down,” reads the official synopsis, per ABC News .
“To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.”
Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan will join “Zootopia 2″ as a wanted snake named Gary, the first reptile to be featured in the “Zootopia” franchise.
Release date: November 2025.
‘Frozen 3′
It’s more than three years away, but “Frozen 3″ is in the works at Disney. Details about the upcoming sequel are still scant.
“‘Frozen 3′ is in the works, and there might be a ‘Frozen 4′ in the works too,” Disney’s CEO Bob Iger said last year, per Variety . “But I don’t have much to say about those films right now. (Director) Jenn Lee, who created the original ‘Frozen’ and ‘Frozen 2,’ is hard at work with her team at Disney animation on not one but actually two stories.”
Release date: November 2027.
Disney+
‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’
David Henrie and Selena Gomez return to “Wizards” as cast members and producers in the upcoming Disney Channel spinoff series, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” which focuses on the Russo family grown up.
“When Justin’s (Henrie) sister Alex (Gomez) brings Billie to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World,” the official synopsis reads, per US Weekly .
Release date: 2024.
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season 2
Season 2 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” will be based on author Rick Riordan’s book “Sea of Monsters,” the second book in the series, per The Hollywood Reporter .
At the D23 conference, a first look at the show’s second season was shown. The series is expected to premiere on Disney+ sometime next year.
Release date: 2025.
Lucasfilm
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’
The next installment in the “Star Wars” universe is “Skeleton Crew,” a TV series created by Jon Watts (”Spider-Man: No Way Home”) and stars Jude Law.
“When four kids make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, they get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined,” reads the official synopsis for the series, per Indie Wire .
Release date: Dec. 3 on Disney+.
‘Andor’ Season 2
The “Andor” story will continue with a second season landing on Disney+ next year.
Release date: 2025, on Disney+.
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’
Lucasfilm will break a five-year streak of no “Star Wars” theatrical releases with the premiere of “The Mandalorian & Grogu” in 2026 — a full-length film based on the Disney+ series, “The Mandalorian.”
“We’re all pretty excited to have ‘Star Wars’ back on the big screen,” producer Dave Filoni said at the D23 conference, per Deadline .
Release date: May 22, 2026.
Marvel
‘Agatha All Along’
Marvel’s upcoming miniseries, “Agatha All Along,” is set in wake of “WandaVision.” When Agatha is freed from Wanda’s spell, she embarks on a mission to reclaim her former powers.
The series stars Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Debra Jo Rupp, Joe Locke and Emma Caulfield, per Marvel .
Release date: Sept. 18.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’
A fourth “Captain America” movie is set to premiere early next year, starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who has taken on the role of Captain America.
“Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America,” reads the official synopsis for the movie, per Marvel .
“After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”
Release date: Feb. 14, 2025
‘Daredevil: Born Again’
“Daredevil” is getting rebooted 10 years after the series premiered in 2015. Original cast members Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will return for the reboot, “Daredevil: Born Again.” “
“‘Daredevil’ is incredible. It’s similar in some ways to ‘X-Men ‘97,’ because it’s reviving something that the fans love, but it is taking it in a new direction,” Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum said, per People .
“These characters have matured. The universe is different than it was. Things have changed. Society’s changed.”
Release date: March 2025, on Disney+.
‘Ironheart’
Based on the Marvel comic book, “Ironheart” follows the story of Riri Williams, an inventor who builds the most sophisticated suit of armor since Iron Man, per Disney .
The series will star Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana and Alden Ehrenreich.
Release date: Sept. 3, 2025, on Disney+.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ralph Ineson star as the Fantastic Four in the upcoming Marvel movie, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The movie tells the story of a superhero team in an alternative universe of 1960s New York City, per Yahoo News .
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