Strike in Hollywood
Marvel postpones series starts
“Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” with Kathryn Hahn (left) and “Echo” with Alaqua Cox have been postponed.
© Marvel Studios/Chuck Zlotnick/Disney+
Many Marvel series titles are being postponed due to the Hollywood strike. Only the hit show “Loki” remains on the previous date.
The double strike by actors and screenwriters in Hollywood has prompted further changes in release dates. As the industry journal “The Hollywood Reporter” reports, a number of upcoming Marvel superhero series for the Disney + streaming service have been postponed and are given later start dates. The only title not affected is the hit series “Loki” with Tom Hiddleston (42) in the leading role. It is still scheduled to be released on October 6th.
Marvel Postpones What If…?, WandaVision Spin-Off and X-Men ’97
Accordingly, the second season of the animated series “What If…?” Released on Disney+ during the holiday season. The anthology series was originally supposed to start in the first half of the year. The “WandaVision” spin-off “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” with Kathryn Hahn (50) was planned for the winter, but is now being postponed to autumn 2024. According to the “Hollywood Reporter”, the show is likely to start on Halloween .
In addition, the offshoot of the series has been given a new title for the second time. Initially announced as “Agatha: House of Harkness,” the show, now titled “Coven of Chaos,” will now be titled “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.”
The Hawkeye spin-off Echo loses its November 29 launch date, pushed back to January 2024. The revival of the animated series “X-Men: The Animated Series” (1992-1997) entitled “X-Men ’97” will no longer start in autumn, but at the beginning of next year. The upcoming shows “Daredevil: Born Again” with Charlie Cox (40), the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” series “Ironheart” and “Wonder Man” are completely without a new start date.
Hollywood strike causes postponements
According to US media, the ongoing strike by screenwriters and actors in Hollywood is said to have caused these shifts. For example, the striking actors are not allowed to drum up publicity for productions in which they are involved during the industrial action, which in some cases makes the start of films and series appear too risky in the eyes of the major Hollywood studios.
At the same time, the Disney group is saving in the streaming area. The Marvel series titles should therefore no longer appear as close together as before. Five Marvel series were originally announced for Disney+ in 2023. Now only “Secret Invasion” with Samuel L. Jackson (74) and the second seasons of “Loki” and “What If…?” published this year.
“Loki” is the most successful superhero series for the Disney+ streaming service to date. The trailer for season two also set a new record in this regard, and achieved the highest number of hits of any Marvel streaming series.