D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Photo: The Walt Disney Company.
Preview:
- Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ projects were featured at this year’s D23 Disney event.
- Kevin Feige introduced some of the new ‘X-Men’ cast.
- We also got a first proper look at ‘Star Wars: Starfighter.’
After seeing big success with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ (even if Sony reaps the majority of the box office rewards) and positive feedback on its San Diego Comic-Con presentation, Marvel is riding, if not high, then higher than recently. So there will no doubt be interest in what the company brings to Disney’s big Entertainment Showcase at the Honda Center as part of this year’s D23 celebration event. Will there be mutant announcements? Let’s find out!
Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars’ galaxy on the other hand, stumbled somewhat with ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu,’ but it at least has ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ on the way, and other shows and potentially movies to tout.
Release Date: May 5, 2028
So, with all that in mind, read on to see what was announced or confirmed at the event, which was hosted by ‘Zootopia 2’s Ke Huy Quan and Ginnifer Goodwin…
Related Article: Samara Weaving is in Talks to Play Emma Frost in Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Movie
What did we learn about Marvel’s upcoming slate?
Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Kevin Feige took the stage to talk about the company’s future.
‘VisionQuest’, the ‘WandaVision’ spin-off was first up, which makes sense since it’ll debut on Disney+ on October 14th.
Stars Paul Bettany (Vision) and James Spader (Ultron, or at least some version of the character) took the stage to talk up the show. It’ll explore what it means to be human, and, per Feige, closes out the trilogy started with ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Agatha All Along.’ The first trailer was shown.
After a mention of ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ (out next month), it was on to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ via a brief, funny video of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (aka Deadpool and Wolverine) campaigning to “fill out the cast” of ‘Doomsday.’ No word yet on whether they were successful…
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Robert Downey Jr. took the stage to warn of dark times ahead for Steve Rogers. And new footage was shown, which you can find above.
What was the update on ‘X-Men’?
(Left) Samara Weaving at the ‘Carolina Caroline’ Los Angeles Premiere on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Vidiots Eagle Theater in Los Angeles. Photo credit: Gregg DeGuire / JanuaryImages. (Right) Marvel Comics’ Emma Frost. Photo: Marvel Comics.
If you’ve yet to see ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ (that’s what, three people and a goat named Arthur at this point?), tread carefully.
Sadie Sink –– AKA yes, Jean Grey, as introduced in the new Spidey movie –– and MCU ‘X-Men’ director Jake Schreier joined Feige on stage to introduce the cast of the movie.
Alongside the already-revealed Samara Weaving (Emma Frost) and Kit Connor (Cyclops), we learned that Adam Driver (yes, they finally got him after years of rejected offers!) will be Nathaniel Milbury, aka Mister Sinister, Christopher Abbott is the new Charles “Professor X” Xavier, newcomer Maya Boyd is playing Storm while ‘Obsession’sInde Navarrette has won the role of Rogue.
The story will follow Jean Grey as the meets the MCU’s take on the iconic mutant characters. ‘X-Men’ will be out on May 5th, 2028.
What did we learn about future ‘Star Wars’ projects?
(L to R) Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano) and Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren) in Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ season two, exclusively on Disney+ January 20, 2027. ©Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Lucasfilm co-chief Dave Filoni was on hand to introduce Season 2 of ‘Ahsoka.’ He was joined by stars Rosario Dawson, Eman Esfandi and Hayden Christensen to offer that the new season will see Ahsoka answer the question: “are you or are you not a Jedi?”
Ezra is back with his ‘Rebels’ friends, and he’s fighting against the Imperial Remnant.
Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling (introduced via a fun throwback to his days on ‘The Mickey Mouse Club’) arrived to talk about ‘Star Wars: Starfighter,’ which will be released on May 28, 2027, fifty years since the original movie.
It takes place in a new time period we haven’t seen before, and Gosling’s character is named Kade Auberon, he’s from the wrong side of the universe, and his fate is entwined with the fastest ship in the galaxy.
What else was featured?
2007’s ‘The Simpsons Movie’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Since Disney is a sprawling entertainment empire that includes a variety of arms, we got a look at a number of other projects.
Early footage was shown from ‘The New Simpsons Movie,’ the next big screen event from Springfield’s finest, which featured an extended sequence of Homer racing around a baseball stadium during a Springfield Isotopes game.
Pixar revealed a look at ‘Incredibles 3,’ which continues the story from the second movie but will put the focus on the kids this time. Expect that one in summer 2028.
Then the company talked up ‘Coco 2,’ which picks up a few short years after the first movie. Coco is a bit older, a teenager with a new haircut and Ernesto’s guitar on his back. The movie will land in November 2029.
There was a brief tease for new original Pixar effort ‘Ono Ghost Market,’ headed to screens on March 10th, 2028. It’s about a supernatural market where the worlds of the living and the dead connect.
Finally, Pixar’s next original, ‘Gatto,’ also got a new look at the story of a criminal cat in Venice. Italy. The film arrives on March 5th next year. A fun clip and a new trailer were shown.
Stitch in Disney’s live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Disney’s main studio is hard at work on the follow-up to last year’s mega-hit live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch.’ The sequel, due in May of 2028, will feature Angel, AKA Experiment 624, who is the love of Stitch’s life.
Talking of live-action adaptations, ‘Tangled’ received a first teaser trailer, which boasts Kathryn Hahn cackling as Mother Gothel. Hahn was present on stage to introduce a video from her cast mates, who are filming in Spain.
‘Romy and Michelle 2’ was next, with stars Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino onstage to talk about the sequel. It’ll find the characters running a boutique in Beverly Hills and contemplating looking for love. The sequel lands next year on Hulu.
On the TV front, there was a look at the third season of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians,’ which is due in November this year.
Jon Favreau introduced word of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a Disney character who pre-dates Mickey Mouse before Disney lost the rights to him. He’s back in the Mouse House fold, and a three-part Disney+ Oswald series (which will be a blend of live-action and entirely hand-drawn 2D animation) is headed to screens in February 2027.
(L to R) Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ‘Zootopia 2’. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
‘Zootopia’ is getting a third outing (no surprise given the sequel’s billion-dollar-plus business last year). The new movie will introduce birds into the animal kingdom.
The company announced a new original animated movie called ‘Clay’ that will feature the voice of Kieran Culkin. It focuses on a man chosen to be a mentor — but his mentee is a moldable ball of clay, who he must keep alive on a journey through a fantastical forest. ‘Clay’ hits screens in November 2028.
That was followed by a new look at this year’s new original, ‘Hexed,’ in which the Hailee-Steinfeld-voiced lead discovers she has magic powers. The cast for that one will also include Walton Goggins and, in her big return to Disney, Jodie Foster as a witch ruler named Queen Celeste.
This year’s big presentation wrapped up with one of Disney’s mega-franchises, ‘Frozen III.’Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad are all back, and they all sung on stage to introduce the new movie. Love is in the air –– Bell’s Anna is married (to Jonathan Groff’s Kristoff) and it seems even Olaf might find romance.
‘Frozen III’ will also see our heroines travel further than they ever have away from Arendelle, to discover new mysteries (and a new antagonist). The film will be in theaters on November 27 next year.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ opens in theaters on December 18th.
Confirmed Upcoming MCU Movies and TV Shows:
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