New details about Walt Disney Co.’s upcoming streaming-video service have been revealed, including the whopping price tag for a live-action “Star Wars” series.
According to a New York Times report, the 10-episode “Star Wars” series from “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau is expected to cost about $100 million, putting it on par with the costliest shows on television (although next year’s final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is expected to cost $15 million an episode).
The service is expected to launch in 2019, and while a price has not yet been announced, Disney said last year it would be “substantially cheaper” than a subscription with rival Netflix Inc. NFLX, +2.28%
In addition to the as-yet-untitled “Star Wars” series, which will take place seven years after the action in “Return of the Jedi,” the family-oriented streaming service will feature a number of new series, the Times reported, including episodic spinoffs of “High School Musical” and Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.,” Marvel superhero shows, a possible Muppets series as well as a new season of the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars.” Disney told the Times that most series would cost around $25 million to $35 million to produce.
Disney is also planning on at least nine new movies for the service, including live-action adaptations of the animated classics “Lady and the Tramp” and “The Sword in the Stone,” as well as a remake of the 1980s comedy “Three Men and a Baby,” the Times said.
The service will heavily rely on Disney’s back catalog of movies, as well as more than 5,000 episodes of older Disney-branded TV shows. It was unclear if family-friendly shows and movies from recently acquired 21st Century Fox studios would be offered.
More details about the streaming service could be announced Tuesday, as Disney is scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the closing bell.
Disney shares DIS, +1.62% are up almost 8% this year, compared to a 3% gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.16% , of which it is a component.
