If you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and aren't we all (?), this is a pretty exciting time. We're days, perhaps weeks away from the first Avengers 4 trailer, and that should be incredible. There's a Captain Marvel film on the way, as well, and the beginning of a new phase for the MCU on the big screen. But there's perhaps even greater excitement for Marvel's plans for Disney's streaming service, reportedly called Disney Play, which we already know will include shows with some of our favorite Avengers heroes.
Marvel's Kevin Feige was part of a roundtable discussion hosted by THR, and in it, he talked a little bit about introducing more longform narratives to Disney Play, as something we can't get from the theatrical experience...
“Well, it’s not a hundred percent complete yet, so there’s only so much I’m allowed to say, or so much they even tell me. But Paul [Greengrass] mentioned the streaming service, and I think that is something that we’re going to be adding content to, which is exciting. I love your analogy with the campfire, right? As many people as you can get around the campfire and tell stories. Campfires can be different: We are going to tell stories for the streaming service that we wouldn’t be able to tell in a theatrical experience — a longer-form narrative, that’s what comics are, it’s about as longform a narrative as exists. But also maintaining that theatrical experience, which is our bread and butter, and the lines around the block, if you’re lucky.”
So he could be talking about more limited event series, like the ones he has planned for Scarlet Witch and Vision, Loki, and more. Or perhaps multi-arc movies that tell a complete story involving lesser-known characters? It's clear the details on Disney Play are still being ironed out, but the potential here is tremendous. Wouldn't it be awesome to get a Civil War that didn't have to be truncated into a 2-hour movie? A serialized format would allow Marvel to emphasize other characters and arcs for longer stretches.
Disney Play (or whatever it'll be called) is expected to arrive in 2019.
