With the upcoming release of Disney’s new streaming platform, Disney+, anticipation is building among fans as to what these new shows will look like. Current reports suggest that Marvel fans could be in for a high production value, with Disney reportedly spending up to $25 million per episode on its new series.
This reported budget for the new Marvel TV shows came from a Variety report on the status of the shows. The report confirmed that “all of the shows that Marvel Studios is producing are expected to be six to eight episodes in length with budgets comparable to Marvel film project, which typically run between $100 and $150 million.” This is a huge increase in budget from Marvel’s first phase of television programs in 2014. The company’s original slate of shows including Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist were all given a budget of approximately $3.8 million per episode. The new $25 million mark for the upcoming shows is high even in comparison to high-budget television productions on networks such as HBO. Game of Thrones, for example, received a budget of approximately $15 million per episode on their final season.
The arrival of Disney+ marks a turning point for Marvel Television. The company’s initial deal with Netflix brought a total of six live-action Marvel shows to the small screen, but since then, Marvel’s live-action efforts have had less success. Netflix cancelled all six of its Marvel shows after the announcement of Disney+, and other non-Netflix Marvel shows have been wrapping up, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige expressed his optimism for the upcoming Marvel shows on Disney+. “It’s an embarrassment of riches,” Feige stated, “all of it extremely thought out by the team Marvel Studios, to do it in ways that I hope will satisfy fans who are anticipating it, but in a way they are absolutely not expecting it.”
Disney+ will launch on November 12th of this year. You can read more of our coverage of Disney+ and all its new content here.