20 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars theatrical films just announced

While this week’s Investor Day acted as a platform to show off all the new content coming to the Disney+ streaming service (we have it all here), there were also a number of announcements of new feature films now scheduled for the theaters in the future.

Indiana Jones – Lucasfilm is currently in pre-production on the next installment of Indiana Jones. At the helm is James Mangold, director of the Academy Award®-winning “Ford v Ferrari,” and Indy himself, Harrison Ford, will be back to continue his iconic character’s journey. Indy will arrive July 2022.

Children of Blood & Bone – The Lucasfilm catalog is expanding further with a story that will introduce a new hero and explore an original world that feels perfectly paired with Lucasfilm storytelling: Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling novel Children of Blood & Bone. The story will center on a young African girl’s heart-racing quest to restore magic to her forsaken people, the Maji. Lucasfilm will partner with 20th Century Studios on this coming-of- age adventure.

New Star Wars Feature – A brand-new Star Wars feature with acclaimed filmmaker and Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi is in development. “Taika’s approach to Star Wars will be fresh, unexpected, and…unique,” said Kathleen Kennedy. “His enormous talent and sense of humor will ensure that audiences are in for an unforgettable ride.”

Rogue Squadron – The next Star Wars feature film to hit the big screen will be Rogue Squadron, directed by Patty Jenkins. The story will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy. Rogue Squadron arrives in theaters Christmas 2023.

Raya and the Last Dragon, which will be released on March 5, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access, travels to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well. Raya and the Last Dragon features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, a warrior whose wit is as sharp as her blade, and Awkwafina as magical, mythical, self-deprecating dragon named Sisu. Newly revealed characters from the film include a street-savvy 10-year-old entrepreneur named Boun, the formidable giant Tong, and a thieving toddler Noi with her band of Ongis. The feature film is directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada and produced by Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho.

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. The film features all-new songs by Emmy®, GRAMMY® and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”) and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto opens in theaters Nov. 24, 2021.

Luca, a new original feature film opening June 18, 2021, celebrates the universal theme of friendship. Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, it is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface. Luca is directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa (Pixar short “La Luna”) and produced by Andrea Warren (Pixar short “Lava,” “Cars 3”).

Turning Red, a new feature film opening in theaters on March 11, 2022, introduces Mei Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which for a teenager is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda! Turning Red is directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar short “Bao”) and produced by Lindsey Collins.

Lightyear slated to open in theaters on June 17, 2022, is a sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans)—the hero who inspired the toy. The film reveals how a young test pilot became the Space Ranger that we all know him to be today. Lightyear is directed by Angus MacLane and produced by Galyn Susman.

Black Widow, opening May 7, 2021, stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. The action- packed spy thriller chronicles Natasha’s efforts to deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow also stars Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, opening July 9, 2021, stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan. The cast also includes Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.

Eternals, opening November 5, 2021, is a feature film that features the MCU’s newest ensemble of Super Heroes in an epic story that spans thousands of years. Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind- loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, debuting March 25, 2022, is currently in production starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Xochitl Gomez joins them, portraying America Chavez, a new fan-favorite from the comics. Directed by Sam Raimi, the mind-bending adventure connects to the events of “WandaVision” and the upcoming Spider-Man film.

Thor: Love and Thunder, opening on May 6, 2022, begins filming next month with director Taika Waititi at the helm. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson return to their roles, joined by Christian Bale, who portrays villain Gorr the God Butcher.

Black Panther 2, opening on July 8, 2022, is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy and portrayal of T’Challa, the Black Panther, Marvel Studios will not recast the character, but will continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.

Blade is a new feature film starring Mahershala Ali in the title role.

Captain Marvel 2, a new feature film opening November 11, 2022, is directed by Nia DaCosta. Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, alongside Iman Vellani, who makes her debut in “Ms. Marvel,” and Teyonah Parris, who portrays grown-up Monica Rambeau—a character introduced as a child in “Captain Marvel” who returns to the MCU as an adult in “WandaVision.”

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will be helmed by Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, starring returning favorites Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Kathryn Newton joins the cast as Cassie Lang while Jonathan Majors portrays Kang the Conqueror.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated for 2023 with director James Gunn at the helm.

Fantastic Four features one of Marvel’s most iconic families. Jon Watts is on board to direct.