Marvel "Cutting Back" On Live-Action TV Shows After VisionQuest; X-Men Casting Rumors Heat Up Before D23

Marvel "Cutting Back" On Live-Action TV Shows After VisionQuest; X-Men Casting Rumors Heat Up Before D23

An update about Marvel Studios' streaming plans reveals what the MCU will look like on Disney+ moving forward, while the latest X-Men casting rumour adds two big names to the ensemble ahead of D23.

By JoshWilding - Aug 14, 2026 03:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Vision

There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Marvel Studios' plans for future live-action series on Disney+, and we now have some fresh insights from Collider. As expected, it seems the MCU will pivot away from pricey streaming projects as we head into the next Saga post-Avengers: Secret Wars.

VisionQuest premieres this October, and from there, Marvel is "cutting back on live-action Disney+ shows." The site explains that this excludes returning series like Daredevil: Born Again and "potential miniseries that may be developed under the 'Marvel Presents' and 'Marvel Spotlight' banners."

Interestingly, the report adds that shows like The Acolyte, Willow, and even Wonder Man—all of which were cancelled after one season—were seen internally as "grand experiments" meant to compete with rival streamers. On the Star Wars front, nothing is in the works after Ahsoka Season 2, and this update comes after the news broke about Power Rangers' shock cancellation at Disney+. 

As a result, Disney+ is becoming more like a back catalogue of titles to subscribe to rather than a destination for splashy new series as it has been since its launch in 2019. There will obviously be the odd new addition, but on the Marvel and Star Wars front, the priority seems to be restoring them to their former glory in theaters first.

In other news, Jeff Sneider is reporting that both Christopher Abbott (Wolf Man) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) have now joined the cast of X-Men. He expects confirmation to come during the "Disney Showcase" panel at D23 later today, though there's no word from him on who they're playing. He does, however, expect at least a few names to be announced tonight, and maybe a couple more if the deals close. 

It's previously been said that Abbott is the MCU's Professor X, with Driver set to transform either into the villainous Mister Sinister or lead the Hellfire Club as Sebastian Shaw. 

Finally, while that Doctor Doom costume reveal from earlier has divided opinions, we now have a much better look at Robert Downey Jr.'s take on the villain in Avengers: Doomsday. This feels a lot more like "classic' Doom.

The cast of the X-Men reboot currently features Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost. Adam Driver is reportedly playing the movie's villain, and while the Magneto rumours have been debunked, it does indeed seem he's either playing Mister Sinister or Sebastian Shaw.

Christopher Abbott, Tom Pelphrey, Bill Skarsgård, Will Poulter, and Harris Dickinson are reportedly in the running for Professor X, though Abbott is now the clear favourite. Spaeny, meanwhile, still seems likely for Rogue, with Charles Melton repeatedly mentioned as a favourite for Beast. We also have a possible Storm in the mix, who Sneider expects to debut in Black Panther 3, not X-Men

X-Men is currently expected to be released in theaters in 2028.

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
A lifelong comic book fan who grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the '90s, Josh Wilding has been contributing to ComicBookMovie.com since 2009.

While he's also written for websites like Batman-News, HeyUGuys, and WhatCulture, Josh is CBM's Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and the site's #1 contributor with nearly two decades of experience covering film and TV news (including interviews with Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Gary Oldman, Halle Berry, Jon Bernthal, Tom Welling, and hundreds more).

Based in the UK with his wife, Josh is also an avid WWE and Formula 1 fan and writes about those passions on CBM's sister sites, TheRingReport.com and FullThrottleHQ.com. Favourite superhero? Spider-Man. Favourite pro wrestler? CM Punk. Favourite F1 driver? Max Verstappen.
UPDATE: VisionQuest D23 Display Reveals First Look At A Mysterious Fiery Figure - Is This Jim Hammond?
Related:

UPDATE: VisionQuest D23 Display Reveals First Look At A Mysterious Fiery Figure - Is This Jim Hammond?

VisionQuest Merchandise Reveals First Look At Human Vision And Ultron New Robot And Human Designs
Recommended For You:

VisionQuest Merchandise Reveals First Look At Human Vision And Ultron New Robot And Human Designs

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 8/14/2026, 3:33 PM
I think scaling back is fine...but with the mutants taking centre stage next there's sooooo much they can do with interlinked tv shows and movies...
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 8/14/2026, 3:59 PM
@UnderBelly - yeah. A show with the school's day to day could be fun for example
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 8/14/2026, 4:25 PM
@bkmeijer1 - Yeah. They could get the first class team and the brotherhood established in the 1st movie then do something akin to generation X with the younger students and brotherhood mutants etc...then movie 2, bring in some more heavy hitters and tease weapon x, then there's another series for that, then movie 3 introducing Hellfire, X-force and X-factor and another series right there...so much potential without needing the wider mcu, but having access to them will obviously help bring in the wider audience.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 8/14/2026, 3:40 PM
The amount of damage Disney Plus has done to both Marvel and Star Wars can't be overstated; it basically damaged Star Wars beyond repair at this point.
PatientXero
PatientXero - 8/14/2026, 3:41 PM
I’ve never heard of rumors “head up”. I’ve heard them “Heat up” maybe it’s a colloquial thing.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 8/14/2026, 3:42 PM
Whats with the yellow bandage around his arm? did Doom piss himself?
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 8/14/2026, 3:43 PM
So basically, we go back to the Netflix shows which they mostly ruined. Talk about going around the block to get to the same place. What a mistake D+ has turned into. Just let Netflix or someone competent do it.
Irregular
Irregular - 8/14/2026, 3:43 PM
"As a result, Disney+ is becoming more like a back catalogue of titles to subscribe to rather than a destination for splashy new series as it has been since its launch in 2019."

Finally! This was literally the only reason why I wanted Disney+ is because it was near impossible to watch any of the classic Disney stuff unless you owned the DVD's or Blu-Rays. That's honestly ALL what it should have been in the first place. Should have crawled first instead of hitting the ground running.
pucrepeap
pucrepeap - 8/14/2026, 3:54 PM
Aww man, I'm holding out for season 2 of Inhumans.
LSHF
LSHF - 8/14/2026, 4:11 PM
@pucrepeap - Lol. We can still dream, at least!
ThorArms
ThorArms - 8/14/2026, 4:01 PM
Sebastian Shaw?? NO

Sinister...yes.
TheShellyMan
TheShellyMan - 8/14/2026, 4:03 PM
Good, cut back on live-action shows. I think it's best for them to only do special presentations.
incredibleTalk
incredibleTalk - 8/14/2026, 4:15 PM
People are calling Disney+ a bust even though they have more billion dollar movies under their wing...more than any other studio...so....

User Comment Image
LSHF
LSHF - 8/14/2026, 4:15 PM
Good! It all needs to be re-evaluated. We've got several characters that already had their own shows (the Netflix Marvel character that they need to decide what to do with, let alone those who have already been introduced.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder