D23 Expo 2022 is in full swing, and day two of the ultimate Disney fan event delivered plenty of spectacular announcements and reveals for Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios fans to enjoy.
With day one of D23 Expo 2022 unveiling new projects in the works at Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, today (September 10) was all about Disney's two biggest franchises – the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Star Wars – and one of its most notable film studios in 20th Century.
From announcements concerning MCU Phase 4 and Marvel Phase 5, to new Star Wars movies and 20th Century Studios flicks, day two of D23 Expo 2022 largely delivered the goods. New details on superhero films, trailers for upcoming Disney Plus shows, and a a brand-new look at Avatar 2 were just the beginning, too, with a variety of surprise cast announcements also part of proceedings.
Below, we've rounded up everything that was announced during the main panel on day two of D23 Expo 2022. Use the navigation bar at the top of the page to jump to the projects you're interested in, or scroll through slowly to find out more about every announcement and reveal.
Lucasfilm: Star Wars, Willow, and Indiana Jones 5
Andor: final trailer released
Andor, the next Star Wars series to debut on Disney Plus, received a final trailer as part of D23 Expo 2022.
The 90-second teaser gives a stunning glimpse into arguably the most mature Star Wars TV show yet, but plenty of action, tense drama, and complex relationships on show in the footage.
"This is like a 12-episode film," Diego Luna, lead actor and executive producer on Andor, told D23 attendees. "It's a gigantic film." If it's half as good as it looks and sounds, we might have a new number one Star Wars show on our hands.
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Andor launches with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday, September 21.
Willow: "epic" fight scenes teased and new trailer drop
Willow, the Disney Plus TV sequel to the similar titled 1988 fantasy movie from Lucasfilm, received a new trailer and some intriguing details during its brief time on stage.
Erin Kellyman, who plays Jade in the Disney Plus show, said fans can expect to see some "epic" fight scenes, while Christian Slater (Mr. Robot, Archer) was confirmed to be part of the series' cast.
Lastly, a new magical-but-foreboding trailer was debuted, which provided a better look at the adventure that Willow (Warwick Davis) and his band of followers will go on to save the world once more.
Tales of the Jedi: first trailer and release date revealed
A six-part short story series, Tale of the Jedi sees Star Wars return to its Clone Wars-style of animation.
The trailer, which provides an exciting look at what we can expect from the miniseries, looks like it'll fill in some backstory details concerning key Star Wars characters, including Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. According to creator Dave Filoni, three of the shorts will expand on Ahsoka's journey from her home world to the iconic Force wielder we know her to be.
Finally, an official release – Wednesday, October 26 – was confirmed for the series of shorts, which will all debut on the streamer that day.
The Bad Batch season 2: January 2023 launch confirmed
#TheBadBatch returns with a 2-episode premiere January 4, 2023. #D23ExpoSeptember 10, 2022
It's been a long time since we received any concrete news on The Bad Batch season 2. But it's been confirmed that the animated series will return to our screens on January 4, 2023. It'll get a two-episode premiere on that date, too, while the series will contain 16 episodes overall.
New Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew details revealed
Jude Law is here again (after debuting as Captain Hook yesterday) #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/sntwhkVk5gSeptember 10, 2022
More details were revealed for other forthcoming live-action Star Wars shows, such as Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew.
Per Jon Favreau, Ahsoka will be Dave Filoni's "magnum opus", while the idea for Skeleton Crew was formed during Favreau's time working on Marvel's Spider-Man movies alongside Jon Watts. Watts directed all three MCU movies for the webslinger and will be showrunner on Skeleton Crew.
A first-look image at Jude Law's character in Skeleton Crew was also revealed, which you can see above (thanks to Total Film for the screenshot). Speaking about the show, Watts simply said: "It's a show about a group of kids who get lost in the Star Wars galaxy."
The Mandalorian season 3: first trailer unveiled
Not to be outdone by its contemporaries, The Mandalorian season 3 was also part of the showcase.
Teasing what fans can expect to see from Moff Gideon, the villain of the piece, in the show's next installment, Giancarlo Esposito told attendees: "You haven't seen Moff be vulnerable before... Only you can supply yourself with the patience to find out what comes next." Sounds ominously intriguing. Meanwhile, Katte Sakhoff, who portrays Bo-Katan, revealed that she'd seen footage from season 3, calling it "crazy".
Oh and, to give us a taste about what can look forward to, a first teaser was also unveiled. Suffice to say: it looks as drama-fuelled, action-packed, and thrilling as we remember the show to be. No official release date was revealed, but the teaser confirmed that season 3 would arrive sometime in 2023.
Indiana Jones 5: first trailer debuts during showcase
INDIANA JONES footage! A big sequence during a New York ticker tape parade. A horseback chase in a subway tunnel. A train sequence. The whip versus a dozen guns. It plays.September 10, 2022
The first trailer for Indiana Jones 5 debuted at Saturday's presentation, but it's yet to make its way online.
Still, we've received some insight into what was shown. The teaser is said to contain plenty of high-octane sequences, including high-speed chases on planes, boats, and a horseback one in a subway tunnel. There's a scene where Indy uses his whip against a number of foes holding guns.
Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), Indy's friend from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, is back for the fifth and final movie. Meanwhile, there'll be a couple of flashbacks to a younger Indy, played by a de-aged Harrison Ford.
Director James Mangold, iconic actor Harrison Ford, and co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge were all in attendance to show off the movie's first teaser. Ford got notably emotional during and after it was shown, according to attendees, before he told audiences: "We have a really human story to tell, as well as a movie that'll kick your ass."
MCU: Werewolf by Night, Secret Invasion, and more
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: exclusive footage shown
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the next Marvel movie set to debut in theaters, was first up during Marvel Studios' presentation.
Director Ryan Coogler was on hand to deliver some exclusive footage, with a new teaser showing a scene from the film itself. The footage shows Queen Ramonda delivering a powerful speech to the United Nations about other countries trying to steal Wakanda's stash of vibranium. It's a moment interspersed with footage of mercenaries trying to break into Wakanda laboratories to steal the precious metal, but they're halted and incapacitated by the Dora Milaje. That'll teach them.
Other footage reportedly showed Riri Williams/Ironheart flying through the sky and antagonist Namor showing off his superhuman strength in a fight against M'Baku, whose staff shatters against Namor's flexed arm. Meanwhile, there was a brief blink and you'll miss it moment featuring Michaela Coel's new character Aneka.
It's unclear if the teaser will be released online. But, with Wakanda Forever less exactly two months away from being released – it's out November 11 – hopefully we'll get to see the new trailer soon, regardless of whether this scene is posted online.
Ironheart: first teaser shown
Ryan Coogler wasn't done when the Wakanda Forever portion of the panel was over, though. The director is also an executive producer on Ironheart, Riri Williams' upcoming Disney Plus show, so he remained on stage – and was joined by co-star Anthony Ramos, no less – to tease a first look at the superhero series.
Ramos, who plays someone called Parker Robbins, aka the supervillain known as The Hood, was described by the actor as a "complex guy" with a bit of good and bad in him. He'll deal in the dark magical arts, too, which will put him on an interesting collision course with the more technology-minded Riri Williams, who is portrayed by Dominique Thorne.
Again, no word on whether this teaser will make its way online. Regardless, the show is still being filmed in Chicago and Atlanta ahead of a late 2023 release.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: new details and trailer teased
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the first project in Marvel's Phase 5 line-up, with the film debuting in theaters in February 2023.
Speaking during the event, lead star Paul Rudd said: "This is unlike anything you’ve seen, certainly from Ant-Man and the Wasp. This thing is bananas." Rudd goes on to praise Jonathan Majors' role in the movie, with the actor continuing to play Kang the Conqueror and his many variants – the first of who we saw in Loki's season 1 finale.
Meanwhile, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased Ant-Man 3 will kick Phase 5 off "in a big way" and that it'll begin the "direct line" to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, one of three confirmed films in Marvel's Phase 6 slate.
A full trailer was shown off but, as with most Marvel D23 trailers, it hasn't been made available publicly. Lastly, Randall Park's Jimmy Woo will be part of the film's cast.
Werewolf by Night: release date finally confirmed
After months of waiting, Werewolf by Night – an upcoming MCU TV special – has an official release date: it's coming October 7.
Directed by film composer Michael Giacchino (Lightyear, multiple MCU movies), Werewolf by Night will star Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly, and takes inspiration from horror films shot in the 1930s and 1940s.
And, based on the special's first trailer, that's exactly the kind of retro aesthetic and mysterious tone it gives off. Shot in black and white, the teaser gives off a very old school vibe, complete with timey-wimey humor, Hitchcockian camera angles, and plenty of mature themes. There's even more than a few lashings of blood, which shows Marvel isn't averse to crossing that family feel line it's been afraid to cross since the MCU's inception.
Secret Invasion: first teaser released online
Following its debut at Marvel's Comic-Con 2022 panel, the first trailer for Secret Invasion has been publicly unveiled.
Starring Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury, Secret Invasion will see the ex-SHIELD director and his Skrull companion Talos (Ben Mendolsohn) investigate the invasion of a secret society of Skrulls on earth.
Billed as an espionage thriller in the same vein as Captain America: The Winter Soldier – the teaser certainly gives off that vibe – Secret Invasion looks like it'll be a series full of twists and turns, with the show's major players forced to work out if they're speaking to, and working with, real MCU human characters or Skrulls masquerading as those individuals.
The teaser gives us our first looks at characters played by Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, while revealing that Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill, Don Cheadle's James Rhodes/War Machine, and Martin Freeman's Everett K Ross are part of its cast. Expect plenty of surprises from this one.
Armor Wars: the MCU show lives!
Just announced at #D23Expo, Don Cheadle will return in Marvel Studios’ Armor Wars, coming to @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/Ac3nj6LYuiSeptember 10, 2022
After its no show at Marvel's Comic-Con 2022 panel, many fans had feared that the War Machine-starring Armor Wars had been put out to pasture.
Thankfully, Marvel confirmed that wasn't the case, with the series coming soon to Disney Plus. The show will reportedly follow on from the events of Secret Invasion, and see James Rhodes pursue criminals who procure some of Tony Stark's old tech. The six-part series will enter full production next year, so expect it to form part of Marvel's Phase 5 slate.
Loki season 2: new cast member announced and footage shown
There was no footage to show off for Loki season 2 – publicly, at least – which is currently filming in the UK, but there was an opportunity to reveal a new member of the Disney Plus show's cast.
Ke Huy Quan, who featured in A24's multiverse movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, has been added to the series' main cast. No word was given on who Quan is playing yet, though.
Loki season 2 will apparently connect to the whole Multiverse Saga, meaning it'll span Phases 4, 5 and 6. Talk about head-spinning!
Fantastic Four: Matt Shakman confirmed as director
It was a rumor that's done the rounds online for weeks, and Marvel finally confirmed that Matt Shakman will be director on the studio's Fantastic Four film reboot. Shakman helmed one of the best MCU TV series to date in WandaVision, so it seems that Fantastic Four will be in good hands.
Disappointingly, though, MCU head honcho Kevin Feige revealed that no cast announcements would be made just yet. That's sure to frustrate Marvel fans – Fantastic Four fans specifically – with online speculation also hinting at which actors may be cast as the iconic quartet. We'll just have to wait for more at a later date.
Echo: filming has wrapped, Wilson Fisk confirmed to wear eye mask
Marvel Studios' Echo, the spin-off series from its Hawkeye Disney Plus show, has wrapped filming. Speaking during Marvel's presentation, Kevin Feige revealed that production had ended on the upcoming Phase 5 series, which will be released in mid-2023.
The show's main cast members were in attendance to debut some of the first footage from Echo, with Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk seen sporting an eye patch. That's from when Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez shot him during Hawkeye's finale, so expect Fisk to be gunning for Lopez in her solo series.
The footage also teased plenty of links to Echo's Native American culture, with attendees describing it as "looking very different to what you're thinking".
Daredevil: Born Again: filming set to begin in 2023
Daredevil: Born Again, the 18-part series starring Charlie Cox's masked vigilante, also got a brief update during Marvel's presentation. Cox took to the stage to confirm that the show would begin shooting in 2023 ahead of its confirmed 2024 release.
With little else to chat about, a clip from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which Cox's Daredevil will cameo in, was shown. It showed the two superheroes arguing about the best approach to taking out their foes, which drew plenty of laughs from the crowd.
Captain America: New World Order: new cast announcements
Fresh from its reveal at Comic-Con 2022, Captain America: New World Order received some more new, well, news at D23 Expo 2022.
More specifically, casting news. Danny Ramiez's Joaquin Torres, who had a supporting role in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, will have an "expanded" role in Captain America 4, which will star Anthony Mackie as the new winged Cap.
More surprising than that, though, was the revelation that Tim Blake Nelson will join Tim Roth in making his long awaited return to the MCU. Nelson, who played Samuel Sterns/The Leader in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, will play a significant part in Captain America 4. He joins Roth in returning to Marvel's juggernaut franchise, with Roth's Abomination having a role in She-Hulk's TV show.
Finally, Shira Haas (Unorthodox) has been cast as Israeli superheroine Sabra, while Carl Lumbly returns as Isaiah Bradley from Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Thunderbolts: full cast revealed
After months of speculation, the main cast for Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts movie was also unveiled.
The Thunderbolts' full line-up is: The Winter Soldier (Sebastien Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and US Agent (Russell Wyatt). The six-strong team will be led by La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
Speaking about the line-up, Kevin Feige joked: "It tell you a lot about the team when beloved Winder Soldier is the most stable among them". Filming will begin early in 2023 ahead of the movie's July 2024 release date.
The Marvels: new footage revealed
The final part of Marvel's presentation was reserved for The Marvels, which arrives in theaters in July 2023.
All the movie's main cast members were in attendance, with Brie Larson (who plays Captain Marvel) expressing her delight at "having a team" in the all-female superhero film.
A batch of new footage was shown off during the presentation, which included a call back to Ms Marvel's post-credits stinger. The snippets shown included Zawe Ashton's unnamed antagonist wielding an accuser's hammer, plenty of body swapping between the trio, a brief glimpse at Nick Fury and Kamala Khan's family, and a small cameo from Goose the cat. It seems like the teaser went down well with viewers, so here's hoping it's a blast when it lands in cinemas next year.
20th Century: Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water: new footage revealed
Calling in from New Zealand, legendary director James Cameron brought a bunch of new Avatar: The Way of Water footage to show exclusively to D23 attendees.
Dolby 3D glasses were handed out to every member in the packed auditorium, with Cameron and company – the film's cast were also in attendance – showing off a number of beautiful looking underwater and on-land scenes from the upcoming sequel.
Sigourney Weaver, meanwhile, revealed that she'll be playing the daughter of Sulley and Neytiri in Avatar 2, who is called Kiri. "Only Jim [Cameron] is crazy enough to have written this character for me!" Weaver said on stage.
Finally, a new piece of concept art for the film, which arrives on December 16, was released online:
Pandora’s beauty awaits.Brand-new concept art has arrived for #AvatarTheWayOfWater, in theaters December 16. pic.twitter.com/EymxRYJfDDSeptember 10, 2022
And that's a wrap on the main panel on day two of D23 Expo 2022! There were a few reveals we were disappointed not to see – the lack of Fantastic Four cast announcement, little in the way of new Marvel Phase 6 projects, and no news on upcoming Star Wars films among them.
Still, we can't complain with what we've just learned about from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios. Here's hoping all of the above projects live up to expectations when they arrive on the big and small screens.
As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.