This year’s D23 Expo hasn’t disappointed.
The semiannual event kicked off Friday with a slew of trailers for the most anticipated Disney films, including Hocus Pocus 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, Disenchanted, and The Little Mermaid live-action remake. However, Day 2 generated even more buzz, as it delivered additional sneak peeks and major announcements for Marvel and Star Wars projects.
Though some of the footage was exclusive to expo attendees, Disney made sure to post a grip of teasers online. The trailers provided closer looks at movies and series like Secret Invasion, The Mandalorian season 3, Werewolf by Night, and Star Wars: Andor. You can check out some of the trailers and highlights below.
Secret Invasion
Marvel’s Secret Invasion finds Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury, the former S.H.I.E.L.D director who sets out to prevent a Skrull invasion. The six-part limited series is set to premiere early next year. Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle will co-star.
Armor Wars
Marvel also unveiled an updated logo for Armor Wars, a Disney+ series starring Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine. The series is expected to begin filming in 2023, and will reportedly pick up where Secret Invasion left off.
Werewolf by Night
After months of speculation, Marvel finally confirmed Werewolf by Night, a one-off Halloween special starring Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell. The black-and-white trailer keeps plot details to a minimum, but provides a quick look at the Marvel horror character Man-Thing. The limited series will hit Disney+ on Oct. 7.
Fantastic Four
Marvel confirmed Matt Shakman (WandaVision) will direct the Fantastic Four reboot. The announcement came just months after Jon Watts exited the film to pursue other projects. The film is expected to premiere on Nov. 8, 2024; however, Marvel has yet to announce any casting news.
Thunderbolts
The Thunderbolts cast is looking stacked. On Saturday, Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed the leads of the anti-hero film, which will close out Phase 5. The project will star will star Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Wyatt Russell (US Agent), Hannah John Kamen (Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster), and Julia Louis Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine).
Jake Schreier will direct the film and Eric Pearson (Black Widow) will pen the script. Thunderbolts will hit theaters July 26, 2024.
Captain America: New World Order
Marvel confirmed the main cast of Captain America: New World Order. Anthony Mackie, who previously played Sam Wilson/the Falcon, will star as the titular superhero alongside Shira Haas (Sabra), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), and Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley). The studio also announced Tim Blake Nelson will reprise his role as The Leader—the main villain in 2008’s Incredible Hulk.
Andor
LucasFilm unleashed the final trailer for Andor, a Disney+ series starring Diego Luna as young rebel Cassian Andor. The preview came less than two weeks before the show’s three-episode premiere.
“We’re going to go back five years before Rogue One, and you won’t believe where you find these characters,” Luna said during the panel. “You’ll see Cassian and not believe he was able to do what they did in Rogue One. It’s about a revolutionary and bringing change and hopefully a story you will love to watch.”
Andor will premiere Sept. 21.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Disney also shared the first official trailer for Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi—a six-episode anthology series that will follow characters like Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Count Dooku. All six episodes will premiere Oct. 26 on Disney+.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Star Wars: The Bad Batch will return in less than four months. Season 2 of the animated series was expected arrive this fall; however, director Dave Filoni announced Saturday it was pushed back to Jan. 4, 2023. The second season will kick off with a two-episode premiere with 14 additional episodes dropping throughout the following weeks.
Willow
Christian Slater has joined the cast of Willow, a Disney+ fantasy series based on the 1988 film directed by Ron Howard. Slater’s casting was revealed Saturday, along with a new trailer. The 53-year-old actor will play Madmartigan, originally portrayed by Val Kilmer.
“I love the fantasy, the sci-fi, just getting to be a part of this show was, I will be honest with you an absolute dream come true,” Slater said Saturday. “This was a very fun character, we got to have some improve, ad-libs we came up with stuff on the spot which was fun.”
Willow stars Warwick Davis as the titular character, as well as Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori, and Amar Chadha Patel. The series will premiere Nov. 30.
