JuicyTalk
Disney’s biannual celebration convention, D23, took place this weekend in Anaheim, California. The event is highly anticipated among fans of the company, as Disney has built a tradition of dropping news and exclusive reveals every year.
In years past, Disney+ series have either been announced or received big updates. Marvel shows like Wonder Man and Daredevil: Born Again were both highlighted at D23’s Entertainment Showcase, which is the main attraction at the event.
Star Wars is another Disney franchise that is always highlighted at the Entertainment Showcase. In 2019, for example, the studio showed a new trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the last film of the Skywalker Saga, days before it was released to the public. Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and more have all been given their chance to shine at D23 along the way as well.
This year’s Entertainment Showcase was no different, with both Marvel and Star Wars front and center of the panel. Disney also chose to highlight new animated features, such as Ghost Market, Gatto, and Hexed. Together with the MCU and Star Wars announcements, this year’s D23 was full of moments that fans are sure to remember for a while.
Adam Driver As Mister Sinister
One of the next MCU movies, which is currently in active development, is the X-Men reboot project. The film, which will be helmed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, is scheduled to release in May 2028, meaning that there’s still plenty of time for audiences to learn more about the project. But until D23, casting reports, rumors, and assumptions were all that fans could go on in terms of who exactly would be in the movie.
The main cast of the X-Men reboot was announced, with Inde Navarette officially confirmed to play Rogue, Kit Connor as Cyclops, and Maya Boyd as Storm. The MCU reboot of the iconic characters promises to be unique in its own right, and especially when it comes to the villain.
Magneto has always been the primary antagonist facing off against the X-Men. However, at this stage, it’s unclear if the character will play a role in the MCU reboot. Instead, there’s another big character from Marvel Comics that is finally making the jump to the big screen.
Mister Sinister, a classic X-Men villain in the comics, was confirmed to be the main antagonist. Not only that, Adam Driver was revealed to be playing the character, which resulted in arguably the biggest crowd response of the entire evening. Driver joining the MCU has been rumored for years, and now his introduction has been confirmed, and what’s more, the character he’s playing is among the most infamous in the X-Men’s rogues’ gallery.
Christopher Abbott As Professor X
Another amazing moment at D23’s Entertainment Showcase was, once again, related to X-Men. Actor Christopher Abbott was officially confirmed to play Professor X, thus positioning him as the lead of the new X-Men film.
This moment is exciting not only because audiences now know who will be playing the MCU’s version of Professor X, but because of Abbott himself. A theater-trained actor, Abbott has traditionally chosen smaller, more independent projects in his career thus far, and has often passed on bigger movies. That Abbott opted to sign on for X-Men shows his confidence in the film.
Abbott didn’t receive as big of a reaction as Driver did, but the latter is likely down to his role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Even if audiences aren’t familiar with Abbott right now, it’s only a matter of time before that changes, now that he’ll be portraying the third big-screen iteration of an iconic comic character.
Teaser For Star Wars: Starfighter
On the Star Wars side of things, the audience at D23’s Entertainment Showcase were given the first look at the franchise’s next theatrically released film. Star Wars needs a win when it comes to movies, after years of focusing on Disney+ and, earlier this year, launching The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters, which received lukewarm reception from fans and critics.
Starfighter looked remarkably different from The Mandalorian and Grogu, which focused on returning characters from Disney+. Instead, Starfighter had a refreshing feel to it — new characters, new worlds, and a story that’s set in a time period that hasn’t yet been explored.
The teaser itself was relatively short, but it did enough to illicit plenty of roars and cheers from the D23 crowd at the Honda Center. Ryan Gosling’s first appearance got a huge cheer, as did the new planets on display. One in particular, a water planet, caught the eye, as it had giant vertical water streams ascending high into the sky.
It’s the kind of unique planet invention that hasn’t been seen since Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, when Rian Johnson came up with the idea to have a planet coated in salt on the ground, with bright red stones underneath.
Ahsoka Season 2 Trailer
Ahsoka season 2 was the other Star Wars project that was highlighted at D23’s Entertainment Showcase. Showrunner Dave Filoni was there to discuss the project, and he was joined by stars Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, and Eman Esfandi. Each member of the cast and crew had a chance to speak on the new season, with Hayden Christensen’s words on Ahsoka a particular highlight.
However, above all else, the best moment of the Star Wars portion of the panel was the Ahsoka season two trailer. Although the new look didn’t give too much in the way of story details, it did do a good job of reminding audiences of why they enjoyed the first season so much.
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker appears to have an even bigger role in season two than he did last time around, which is incredibly exciting heading into the new set of episodes. Anakin is a character that is intrinsically linked with Ahsoka, so his inclusion feels like more than just fan service. Instead, it’s a way to show how Ahsoka has progressed since the Clone Wars era, and strengthens her character arc overall.
Avengers: Doomsday Trailer
Another amazing moment during the panel was when the new trailer for Avengers: Doomsday was shown. Much of the footage was displayed at San Diego Comic Con last month, but nevertheless, the special look does a great job of building hype and anticipation for the new film. The new looks at Doctor Doom are particularly exciting, making the wait for Doomsday even harder.
