Disney’s new streaming service to launch in 2019

Disney’s new video streaming service Disney+ will launch late next year with two live-action series exclusively available on the platform, the company announced Thursday.

In a webcast announcing the company’s fiscal quarter results, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney+ would launch in late 2019 featuring live action series set in both the Star War and Marvel cinematic universes, according to a press release.

{mosads}“There’s activity across the board at our company in terms of increased production and investment for this app,” Iger added during a conference call, according to Variety. “We think we’re in great shape. We have a game plan in place to bring the product to market.”

The Star Wars series, starring “Rogue One” lead Diego Luna, is set to begin production next year, according to the release, and the company is also pursuing development of a Marvel series starring actor Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki.

“I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply,” Luna said of his upcoming series, according to the release.

Disney’s streaming service will enter an arena already dominated by streaming giants Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, which all offer their own growing stores of original programming.

Netflix recently inked a deal with former President Obama and Michelle Obama for a partnership out of which the Obamas will develop films and series for the company including “series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries, and features,” the company said in a statement.

Disney acquired the majority of 21st Century Fox’s assets late last year for $52.4 billion as the company began development of its own streaming service.