'Deadpool 3'? 'The Mandalorian'? 'Scarlet Witch'?
The biggest Disney event of the year is taking place this weekend - but what's about to be unveiled? Let's put on our Mickey Mouse ears and speculate to the high heavens.
The California-based D23 2022 Expo is expected to be a huge stage for Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and general Disney news, and this year's event has the potential to make some of the biggest announcements ever.
The fan event is mostly reserved for theme-park focussed news, but it has also been known to drop some pretty big reveals in the past in terms of movies and TV shows, including the first trailer for 'The Rise of Skywalker' and the live-action 'Mulan' in 2019. This is the first year since then that D23 will be taking place in person, so expect some big announcements to head our way.
Star Wars fans are hoping to get the first footage from 'The Mandalorian' season three, as the trailer was first screened during the Star Wars Celebration Day back in May. More news about Rosario Dawson's 'Ahsoka' spin-off series would also be great to hear, as would more details about Taika Waititi's untitled Star Wars feature film. So, there's lots of potentials for Lucasfilm to gift fans with during tomorrow's panel.
Next, Marvel fans are positively chomping at the bit as they anticipate the next Marvel Cinematic Universe reveals that could be about to drop. Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool 3' could finally be getting its official title; the second trailer for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' might be inbound; plus, a first-look at 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania', the 'Secret Invasion' series and the Halloween Special starring Gael García Bernal.
Oh, and what's that? Could Scarlet Witch be getting a solo movie? It would be a bold move, but one that fanboys and girls would absolutely love to see.
Earlier this week, it was rumoured that seven actors were reportedly officially recruited to join the MCU in the future - could the rumours be true? And could some (or all) of them be making appearances during the Marvel panel?
In terms of other Disney-related properties, expect more details about the upcoming 'Disenchanted' film, which was filmed in Wicklow. Disney's new animation 'Strange World' is also expected to feature, as will more details about Pixar's next film, 'Elemental'. Plus, 'Avatar: The Way of the Water' is out later this year, and 'Indiana Jones 5' is also on the horizon for next year.
Being familiar with Disney's smoke and mirror tactics for years, we're sure there will be lots of other surprises that have been kept hidden behind Disney's lock-tight fortress of non-disclosure agreements for quite some time. Who knows? Maybe we'll get some information on 'The X-Men' team that Marvel is reportedly building behind the scenes.
Keep an eye on the D23 2022 YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter accounts for live streams of some of the panels taking place this weekend. The Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios panels will be taking place on Saturday between 6 - 8 pm Irish time.