Disney threw the entertainment world for a loop earlier this week when the company announced that it would be launching its own streaming service in 2019. As a result of this new venture, the House of Mouse will also pull all of its theatrical content from Netflix, cutting short the exclusive deal that went into effect between the two companies last fall. However, Netflix is still hoping it can stay in business with Disney by remaining a home for Marvel and Star Wars.
According to Reuters, Netflix is in "active discussions" with Disney to keep distributing Marvel and Star Wars movies after 2019. Taking the "regular" Disney and Pixar movies off Netflix is already a done deal, but evidently the future of Disney's superhero and space opera brands with this new streaming service is uncertain. While a Disney spokesman declined to comment on these discussions, evidently the company is at least considering keeping its partnership with Netflix going in a smaller capacity.
Disney's new streaming service is still in its infancy, so it will be a while until official announcements are made about what the website's lineup will look like. The one thing that's certain is that it will be the one stop shop for all your traditional Disney viewing pleasures, including highly-anticipated releases like Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2. Marvel and Star Wars, on the other hand is less certain. While it's certainly possible that these two franchises could be thrown onto the platform with everything else, there's a chance that Disney may decide to throw those movies on another streaming platform, be it Netflix, another one created by Disney or even an existing streaming service (like Hulu, which is partly owned by Disney and will not be affected by these new plans).
In the meantime, you still have at least a year and a half to keep enjoying Marvel and Star Wars movie on Netflix. Currently, Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange are the platform's MCU offerings, while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the only one of the newer movies from a galaxy far, far away available (though you can also watch the animated Clone Wars movie and TV series to get your Star Wars fix). Looking ahead to the near future, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and maybe even Ant-Man and the Wasp will get some Netflix time, as will Star Wars: The Last Jedi and possibly the Han Solo movie. But if Netflix and Disney can't reach an agreement for after 2019, then you can kiss all those goodbye. It's also important to note that Disney's new streaming service is not expected to affect Netflix's Marvel TV shows, like the upcoming Defenders miniseries.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on Disney's streaming service and Netflix's upcoming plans.
