Marvel and Disney did not expect for
Netflix to cancel shows like
Daredevil, but Disney's Kevin Mayer might have just provided a light at the end of that tunnel for fans of those canceled projects.
Mayer is chairman of Disney's direct-to-consumer and international division, which includes ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney's upcoming streaming service
Disney+. Since Netflix canceled Marvel projects like
Iron Fist,
Luke Cage, and most recently
Daredevil, some fans have hoped that Disney would find a new home for them on its upcoming service, though there are reportedly contract issues between Marvel and Netflix that keep that from happening immediately.
Mayer was asked about those shows, especially if they would consider reviving those shows that Netflix canceled, and Mayer said it was a possibility. "
They are very high-quality shows," Mayer told
THR.
"We haven't yet discussed that, but I would say that's a possibility."
It seems there might be hope yet for those shows, but Disney+ has more than enough projects to keep them busy during the initial launch, as shows like
Scarlet Witch and Vision, the
Loki series, and
The Mandalorian are all very much anticipated.
Mayer was also asked how they would get people to pay for yet another streaming service. "We have to take our content and make it as exclusive as we can to our service," Mayer said. "We have to make the app and the technology pretty seamless. You can find our content under our key brands, which is a real differentiator for us."
"Many of our core brands are going to be in that service," Mayer said. "Some of this content will have an initial window, like a theatrically released film, some will be on television first, some will be original for the service. It will skew naturally from an hours perspective, because of how much we've invested over the years, toward product that's non-original, but we're making a lot of original content."
Mayer was also asked about WarnerMedia's decision to renew
Friends on Netflix for another year, something Marvel decided not to do when it came to their contract involving new Marvel and Star Wars films.
"I'm sure [WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey] had his reasons, but when we were faced with a similar decision, to take [our programming] off in preparation to put it on our own service, that was right for us," Mayer said. "We will continue to do that. Ultimately our direct-to-consumer service is going to be the only place you can find that content."