The cancellations of three of Marvel’s Netflix shows had many speculating that the characters may reappear on Disney+, but that won’t be happening until 2020 at the earliest.
The original deal with Netflix prevents the Marvel characters from appearing in non-Netflix series and films for at least two years after cancellation, according to Variety. So, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist won’t be showing up in solo outings, and another project for the Defenders is definitely out, not just because three-quarters of the team is down for the count, but because Netflix still has Marvel’s Jessica Jones for at least one more season. The third season for the unyielding woman is set to air in 2019 (see "More ‘Jessica Jones’"). If the series is cancelled, Jessica Jones won’t be making a move to Disney+ until at least 2021.
How the clause affects Marvel’s The Punisher is unknown. The series, which stars John Bernthal as the title vigilante, wasn’t part of the original Netflix deal. The series is definitely getting at least one more season on Netflix (see "Two Series Extended, One Cancelled"). The streaming giant released a teaser for its January lineup, including The Punisher in the mix. A specific debut date is pending.
The relationship between Disney and Netflix has become increasingly strained with Disney’s announcement of Disney+, the proprietary streaming service that will launch in 2019. Disney intends to bring all of its properties, which include Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, under the Disney+ umbrella. Shortly after the announcement of the service, Disney began gathering up its toys by announcing that it would be removing Disney, Pixar, and MCU movies from Netflix (see “Disney Drops the Other Shoe on Netflix”). As for Star Wars, Disney definitely plans to consolidate those projects as well, but those TV rights are decidedly more tangled (see “Disney Wants 'Star Wars' TV Rights Back”).
Marvel’s Iron Fist was the weakest of the four original Netflix series in terms of critical praise and viewership, so the cancellation of that series wasn’t nearly as shocking as the cancellation of Marvel’s Daredevil, which had seen a reinvigorated third season. In fact, the show has been among the most popular since the season debuted (see “'Daredevil' Cancellation Wasn't Due To Views”). Add in that Disney is actively working on series centered on characters from the MCU, including Loki and Scarlet Witch (see “Loki Series Starring Tom Hiddleston Planned For Disney+”), as well as multiple Star Wars series (see "Disney’s OTT Service Name, ‘Rogue One’ Series" and “Nick Nolte in 'The Mandalorian'”), and it becomes obvious that the Disney-Netflix relationship is eroding quickly.
As for Netflix, the streaming giant is itself focusing on more in-house content. Netflix has greenlit a number of projects recently, including series based on Mark Millar properties (see "Netflix Greenlights Millarworld Projects"). The streamer is also betting big on animation (see “Netflix Offers New Looks at Classic Anime Properties in 2019” and “Netflix Adds New Anime”) and live-action adaptations of beloved properties (see “Live-Action 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Happening” and “Live Action 'Cowboy Bebop' Happening”).
Safe for Now: Netflix Teases 'The Punisher' Season 2
Posted by Betsy Gomez on December 13, 2018 @ 7:17 pm CT
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