“Star Originals” Coming Soon To Disney+
Disney is set to launch its brand new general entertainment brand “Star”, inside the Disney+ app on 23rd February, which will include hundreds of movies and shows from Disney’s mature brands including ABC, FX, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures.
In the UK, “Star” will launch with over 75 TV series, more than 270 movies and a slate of 4 exclusive Star Originals including “Big Sky”, “Solar Opposites”, “Helstrom” and “Love, Victor”. Two episodes of these “Star Originals” will be available at launch, with new episodes dropping each Friday.
“Star” will also be launching in 17 countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Followed by Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea later in 2021.
Today, Disney hosted a special press event and reconfirmed the following shows will be coming to Disney+ later this year. They also confirmed that all new shows created by FX and ABC in the United States will be “Star Originals”.
During this event, I asked if new shows would be coming to Disney+ on Star after they air in the US and we were told it will be done on a case by case basis. As with the launch titles, 3 shows have already released in the US on Hulu and “Big Sky” will be about a month or so ahead of the release on “Star”, but this should be less in the future.
There will also be lots of new local content created in Europe for Disney+ including 10 titles that were announced yesterday for Europe including “Good Mothers” and “Parallels”. More Originals are being created in the UK, including dramas, comedies and reality shows. Though the UK Original lineup wasn’t announced.
“Star Originals” availability can also vary between regions as some shows are available on other platforms due to pre-existing deals.
Here’s a look at the some of the “Star Originals” coming later this year:
Big Sky
Storyteller David E. Kelly (“Big Little Lies”) presents a series about private detectives Cassie Dewell and Cody Hoyt, who join forces with Cody’s estranged wife and ex-cop, Jenny Hoyt, to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. When they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken. Based on the series of books by C.J. Box, the series stars Katheryn Winnick, Kylie Bunbury and Ryan Phillippe.
Love, Victor
“Love, Victor” is set in the world of the groundbreaking movie, “Love, Simon,” which was inspired by Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed young adult novel, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” about a closeted gay teenager who is forced to come out after being blackmailed. The series stars Michael Cimino as Victor, who, like Simon, is on his own journey of self-discovery. Facing challenges at home, navigating the ups and downs of a new high school and exploring his sexual orientation, Victor reaches out to Simon when things become too difficult.
Helstrom
Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer; the siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity.
Solar Opposites (S1)
A family of aliens from a better world must take refuge in middle America, and they disagree on whether Earth is awful or awesome.
There will also be many more “Star Originals” coming later this year including:
Dollface
After being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, a young woman must deal with her own imagination in order to literally and metaphorically re-enter the world of women, and rekindle the female friendships she left behind.
Coming to Disney+ on March 5th. (This title may not be available in all regions)
neXt
A Silicon Valley pioneer discovers that one of his own creations – a powerful A.I. – might spell global catastrophe, and teams up with a cybercrime agent to fight a villain unlike anything we’ve ever seen – one whose greatest weapon against us is ourselves.
Coming to Disney+ on March 12th . (This title may not be available in all regions)
Love in the Time of Corona (All episodes) – Star Original
Filmed using remote technologies shot in the talents’ actual homes, this four-part, romantic dramedy follows four interwoven stories. James & Sade have spent so much time away from each other due to James’ demanding work life that it’s as if they’re only just starting to get to know each other, juggling being new parents, and beginning to grapple with whether they may be more than just a little out of sync.
Coming to Disney+ in March
Grown-Ish
Zoey Johnson heads to college and begins her hilarious journey to adulthood but quickly discovers that not everything goes her way once she leaves the nest.
Coming to Disney+ in April
Rebel
Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today, Annie “Rebel” Bello is a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She’s a funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.
Coming to Disney+ in May
Genius: Aretha
GENIUS is National Geographic’s critically acclaimed anthology series that dramatizes the fascinating stories of the world’s most brilliant innovators and their extraordinary achievements with their volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships. This third season will explore Aretha Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career, as well as the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world. Franklin was a gospel prodigy, an outspoken civil rights champion and widely considered the greatest singer of the past 50 years, receiving countless honors throughout her career. GENIUS: ARETHA will be the first-ever, definitive and only authorized scripted series on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul.
Coming to Disney+ in June
Only Murders In The Building
Only Murders In The Building follows three strangers (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. The 10-episode series is expected to debut in 2021.Co-creators and co-writers Steve Martin and John Hoffman executive produce along with Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Jamie Babbitt, “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios, is the studio.
The Dropout
The Dropout is inspired by the ABC News podcast of the same name chronicling the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The series will explore what caused the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, once heralded as “the next Steve Jobs,” to lose everything in the blink of an eye. The eight-episode series is expected to debut in 2021.The Dropout is executive produced by Kate McKinnon, showrunner Liz Meriwether and the producing team behind the ABC News podcast, host and Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent for ABC News Rebecca Jarvis, Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson. The series comes to Hulu from Searchlight Television and 20th Television.
Dopesick
Dopesick is an ambitious, harrowing, and compelling look into the epicenter of America’s struggle with Opioid addiction, taking viewers from a distressed Virginia mining community to the hallways of the DEA, and to the opulence of “one percenter” Big Pharma Manhattan. The unsparing yet deeply human portraits of the various affected families and their intersecting stories hold up a mirror to where America is right now, while shining a hopeful light on the heroes battling the worst drug epidemic in American history. The eight-episode series is expected to debut in 2021.
Dopesick is written by Emmy winner Danny Strong (“Empire,” “Recount,” “Game Change”) and directed by Oscar winner Barry Levinson (“Paterno,” “Rain Man”). Executive producers for Dopesick include Danny Strong, John Goldwyn (“Dexter”), Barry Levinson, Warren Littlefield (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Fargo,” “The Old Man”), Beth Macy (Dopesick) and Karen Rosenfelt (“Twilight”). The limited series is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name by Beth Macy, coming to Hulu from 20th Television and The Littlefield Company. The series stars Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Will Poulter, John Hoogenakker with Kaitlyn Dever and Rosario Dawson.
The Old Man
The Old Man starring Academy Award and Golden Globe award winner Jeff Bridges, Emmy and GoldenGlobe award winner John Lithgow, and Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated Amy Brenneman, is a new FX drama series starring Jeff Bridges as a former CIA operative who is forced to reconcile with his past. The Old Man, based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, is written by John Steinberg & Robert Levine, directed by Jon Watts, and executive produced by Warren Littlefield, Steinberg, Dan Shotz, Levine, Bridges, David Schiff and Watts. (produced by 20th Television)
American Horror Stories
American Horror Stories is a new anthology series from Emmy and Golden Globe award winning producer Ryan Murphy spun off from FX’s biggest, longest running original drama hit, “American Horror Story”. (produced by 20th Television)
Platform
Platform, from BJ Novak, an actor and award-winning writer of “The Office,” is a half-hour anthologicaltelevision series from FX that uses the boldest issues of our times as a jumping off point to tell singular, character-driven stories about the world we live in today. The series will feature a different cast each episode. The first episode stars Lucas Hedges, Kaitlyn Dever, O’Shea Jackson Jr., George Wallace, Ed Asner, Brendan Francis Scannell, among others. The second episode stars Jon Bernthal, Boyd Holbrook, Amy Landecker, Beau Bridges, and more. Novak serves as executive producer and the series is produced by FX Productions.
Y: The Last Man
Y: The Last Man is a new FX drama series based on DC Comics’ acclaimed series of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. Y: The Last Man traverses a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic event decimates every mammal with a Y chromosome but for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. The series follows the survivors in this new world as they struggle with their efforts to restore what was lost and the opportunity to build something better. Eliza Clark serves as showrunner and an executive producer along with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda, Vaughn and Melina Maksoukas. The series stars Diane Lane, Ashley Romans, Ben Schnetzer, Olivia Thirlby, Amber Tamblyn, Marin Ireland, Diana Bang, Elliot Fletcher and Juliana Canfield.
And there will also be new content from the Kardashian and Jenners.
There will be lots more “Star Originals” to come in the future. What are you looking forward to watching on Disney+?