Disney developing Marvel shows for streaming service starring Loki, Scarlett Witch

Tom
Hiddleston as Loki in “Thor: Ragnarok”
Marvel Studios

• According to Variety, Disney is developing TV shows for
  its upcoming streaming service spinning off of the Marvel
  Cinematic Universe.
• The limited series, at six to eight episodes each,
  would star Loki, Scarlett Witch, and characters that haven’t
  been introduced yet, and recruit original actors like Tom
  Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen to reprise their roles.

• The shows reportedly have a hefty price tag that rivals
  a studio production, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige
  will have a hands-on role.
• Loki died in “Avengers: Infinity War,” so the series
  would either be a prequel or signal that Loki isn’t actually
  dead. And there’s a chance that a Scarlett Witch series could
  explore her relationship to the X-Men now that Disney will own
  Fox.

Disney is expected to launch its streaming service in 2019, and
is assembling the Avengers to give it an edge in the streaming
wars against Netflix.

According to Variety, which cited anonymous
sources close to the production, Disney is developing big-budget
TV shows spinning off of the MCU for its upcoming streaming
service, that would star Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Elizabeth Olsen’s
Scarlett Witch, and characters that haven’t even been introduced
to the MCU yet.

Variety reported that the shows would be limited series, at 6 to
8 episodes each, and that the original actors, like Hiddleston
and Olsen, would reprise their roles. The shows would also have a
hefty price tag that Variety described as “rivaling those
of major studio productions.”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who has been
instrumental in the MCU’s success, is also expected to have a
“hands-on role in their development.”

Disney did not immediately return a request for comment
from Business Insider.

Loki and Scarlett Witch reportedly being the frontrunners
for their own series is intriguing for a number of reasons, most
notably that Loki died in “Avengers: Infinity War.” There’s the
possibility that a Loki series would be a prequel, or even take
place in between “Thor” films — but there’s also a popular fan theory that
suggests that Loki didn’t actually die in “Infinity War,” and
instead faked his death as he did in “Thor: The Dark
World.”

Expanding on Scarlett Witch’s storyline suggests that
Disney is considering the possibilities of its merger with Fox.
Disney will now own Fox’s Marvel superhero properties like the
X-Men and Fantastic Four, meaning those characters can be
included in the MCU if Disney chooses to do so. In the comic
books, Scarlett Witch is the daughter of X-Men villain Magneto,
so there’s a good chance that a Scarlett Witch series could
introduce and explore that history.

Marvel has already made the jump to the small screen with
its Netflix series like “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke
Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher,” and “The Defenders.” It’s
unclear how Disney’s streaming service will affect these shows,
and they are only loosely connected to the MCU — what Variety
reports is an entirely different, far-more ambitious
beast.