San Diego Comic-Con may be over, but another major pop culture convention in Southern California is already gearing up. It’s D23, Disney’s biennial convention for all things House of Mouse. That’s Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, 20th Century, Searchlight, and everything else Disney owns.
The event takes place from August 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center, a stone’s throw from Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, and besides a convention hall full of fun stuff, each night culminates in a mega presentation crosstown at the Honda Center, the home of the Anaheim Ducks (no longer owned by Disney, but originated by it). Friday, it’s a preview of everything Disney has coming in film and TV. Saturday, it’s theme parks. And Sunday, it’s a star-studded induction of celebrities into Disney’s own hall of fame called Legends.
For our sake, though, we’re mostly focused on Friday and Saturday. What are we hoping to see or learn? Here are the 10 top things we’re hoping for at D23.
1. Star Wars: Starfighter footage
With The Mandalorian and Grogu now in theaters, Lucasfilm’s part in the D23 festivities should mainly focus on two things: Ahsoka season two (more on that soon) and the first Star Wars movie set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. No one has seen anything from the upcoming Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling team-up, but with less than a year to go before release, we’d imagine some sort of short teaser trailer will play at the convention. And we can’t wait.
2. X-Men cast announcement
Over the past few days, multiple actors have been tapped by the trades to be playing characters in Jake Schreier’s upcoming X-Men movie. And what is that all leading to? We’re hoping it’s some kind of grand announcement not just of the actors we know, but the ones we don’t too. And maybe an official release date to kick off the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
3. Ahsoka season two trailer
As Star Wars slowly transitions back to a theatrical experience instead of a streaming one, Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni has one last story to wrap up. It’s the second season of Ahsoka, the only live-action Star Wars show currently on the schedule, and with its January release rapidly approaching, we’re all but sure we’ll get our first official look at what’s next for Ahsoka, Ezra, Hera, Sabine, and the gang.
4. More Avengers: Doomsday footage
First there was a trailer. Then there was a special Comic-Con sizzle. And, at D23, you have to imagine Marvel Studios will show a little something different to the fans. Or, maybe, it’ll just be the Comic-Con footage again. Hopefully, though, there will be something even cooler.
5. VisionQuest trailer
At Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige mentioned the company does have an upcoming TV show, but that event was going to focus on movies. The assumption, of course, was the next event wouldn’t just be movies. And that opens the door for D23 to have first look at VisionQuest, a sequel series to WandaVision which follows Paul Bettany’s artificially intelligent superhero.
6. First Frozen 3 footage
While the next film from Disney Animation, Hexed, is all but certain to be the focus, Disney fans want to see the big guns. And, for Disney Animation, there’s nothing bigger than Frozen. The third film is scheduled for release in November 2027, so it’s still a long way away, but you have to think we’ll get a little taste of what’s to come from the world of Anna and Elsa, especially since the project was mentioned at the last D23.
7. Incredibles 3 news
Riding high off the success of Toy Story 5, Pixar’s next film is an original one called Gatto. And while that, like with Disney Animation, will be the focus, you have to think there will be some updates on upcoming sequels such as Incredibles 3. It’s not coming out until closer to the next D23 (presumably) in 2028, though, so this might be a stretch.
8. Villains’ Land update
D23 isn’t just about movie and TV news. There will also be lots and lots of theme park news. And, if it happens, the biggest of that would be official news on the previously announced villains-themed area coming to Walt Disney World. There has been much speculation on what it’ll be called, and what rides will be in it, so after years of prep, now would be the time to make things official.
9. The future of Avatar
Speaking of making things official, at the last D23, Disney announced a new Avatar ride was coming to Disney’s California Adventure. Since then, rumors have swirled that that may have changed, especially when the third installment of the franchise didn’t perform as well as the first two. So, it would be great to hear if Avatar will continue in the parks and, maybe, if those fourth and fifth films are coming too.
10. A new Galaxy’s Edge
Beyond that, Disney is almost certain to announce theme park news we haven’t even thought of yet. New rides, lands, etc. And one rumor that has been swirling is that it’s looking to open a third Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at another park. Currently, there are two, one in Florida and one in California, so one not in the U.S. would make sense. Could this be announced at D23? We’ll find out next week.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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