Don’t Expect ‘The Defenders’ on Disney Streaming Service Any Time Soon (EXCLUSIVE)
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Fans of the Marvel Television series recently canceled by Netflix who hope to see the shows revived on Disney+ may be out of luck.
Sources tell Variety that the deal for the original four Marvel shows includes a clause that prevents the characters from appearing in any non-Netflix series or film for at least two years after cancellation. That means that “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” and “Iron Fist” — which were all canceled this year at Netflix — could not come to the streaming service until 2020 at the earliest.
The chances of the shows returning either on their own or as a new installment of “The Defenders” is definitely a long shot, given the time frame. And even if they did go to Disney+ as soon as possible, they would be doing so without “Jessica Jones,” which is set to air its third season on Netflix sometime in 2019. If that show is canceled, which now seems likely but is by no means a guarantee, it could not go elsewhere until 2021.
Marvel and Netflix declined to comment.
Then there is “The Punisher,” a Marvel-Netflix show that was not part of the deal that spawned “The Defenders.” “The Punisher” stars Jon Bernthal, who first played the gun-toting vigilante in “” Season 2 before the character was spun off into his own show. It was revealed on Wednesday that the second season of “The Punisher” will debut in January. Given that “The Punisher” did not fall under the original deal, the show’s fate beyond Season 2 is unknown at this time.
Fans of the Marvel shows were shocked when Netflix began canceling them, particularly “Daredevil,” which drew strong critical praise for its third season. The streaming giant and the comic book-based entertainment studio had signed the deal to produce the four shows back in November 2013, with “Daredevil” being the first to premiere in April 2015.
The deal called for the development of four original live-action series, which would then culminate in the miniseries event “The Defenders,” which ended up airing in 2017. However, Disney announced its plans for Disney+ in 2017, with the intent being to make it a hub for everything under the Disney umbrella, which includes Marvel.
The soon-to-be-streaming giant has already lined up several original shows, including limited series centered on the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Loki, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon and the Winter Solider. Disney+ will also be home to the live-action “Star Wars” shows “The Mandalorian” starring Pedro Pascal and a Cassian Andor series, with Diego Luna reprising his role from “Rogue One.”
