Disney - Investor day 2020 – Content for Hulu (U.S.) and Star (international)

By Mulder, 10 december 2020

Walt Disney Television Chairman of Entertainment Dana Walden shared a look at some of the high-quality originals streaming soon. “We’re laser focused on creating great content for Disney’s streaming platforms. Our content strategy? Highly curated programming. We’re making hard choices about which shows we produce. Landing on content that feels special, and is both highly entertaining and part of the cultural conversation.”

Only Murders In The Building
Only Murders In The Building follows three strangers (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. The 10-episode series is expected to debut in 2021. Co-creators and co-writers Steve Martin and John Hoffman executive produce along with Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Jamie Babbitt, “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios, is the studio.

The Dropout
The Dropout is inspired by the ABC News podcast of the same name chronicling the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes (played by Kate McKinnon) and her company, Theranos. The series will explore what caused the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, once heralded as “the next Steve Jobs,” to lose everything in the blink of an eye. The eight-episode series is expected to debut in 2021. The Dropout is executive produced by Kate McKinnon, showrunner Liz Meriwether and the producing team behind the ABC News podcast, host and Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent for ABC News Rebecca Jarvis, Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson. The series comes to Hulu from Searchlight Television and 20th Television.

Dopesick
Dopesick is an ambitious, harrowing, and compelling look into the epicenter of America’s struggle with Opioid addiction, taking viewers from a distressed Virginia mining community to the hallways of the DEA, and to the opulence of “one percenter” Big Pharma Manhattan. The unsparing yet deeply human portraits of the various affected families and their intersecting stories hold up a mirror to where America is right now, while shining a hopeful light on the heroes battling the worst drug epidemic in American history. The eightepisode series is expected to debut in 2021. Dopesick is written by Emmy winner Danny Strong (“Empire,” “Recount,” “Game Change”) and directed by Oscar winner Barry Levinson (“Paterno,” “Rain Man”). Executive producers for Dopesick include Danny Strong, John Goldwyn (“Dexter”), Barry Levinson, Warren Littlefield (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Fargo,” “The Old Man”), Beth Macy (Dopesick) and Karen Rosenfelt (“Twilight”). The limited series is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name b y Beth Macy, coming to Hulu from 20th Television and The Littlefield Company. The series stars Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Will Poulter, John Hoogenakker with Kaitlyn Dever and Rosario Dawson.

Content for Hulu (U.S.)

Nine Perfect Strangers
Based on The New York Times bestselling book by author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this ten-day retreat is the resort’s director Masha (Nicole Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine “perfect” strangers have no idea what is about to hit them. The eight-episode series is expected to debut in 2021. The series stars Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Samara Weaving, Melvin Gregg, Asher Keddie, Grace Van Patten, Tiffany Boone and Manny Jacinto. Nine Perfect Strangers is from David E. Kelley, Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories, Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films and Endeavor Content. Jonathan Levine directs all eight episodes of the series and serves as executive producer alongside Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodi Matterson for Made Up Stories, Nicole Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films, Liane Moriarty, David E. Kelley, John Henry Butterworth, Molly Allen, Samantha Strauss and Melissa McCarthy. The series is co-written by David E. Kelley, John Henry Butterworth and Samantha Strauss and co-showrun by David E. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth.

The Handmaid’s Tale
Hulu’s award-winning, hit drama series, The Handmaid’s Tale, has been renewed for a fifth season ahead of its season four premiere. In the upcoming fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale, June (Elisabeth Moss) strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges. Her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships. The 10-episode fourth season will premiere in 2021. The series stars Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford, and Sam Jaeger. The Handmaid’s Tale season five will be executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Sheila Hockin and Yahlin Chang. The series is produced by MGM Television and internationally distributed by MGM.

(Source : press release)