Less than a day after Disney revealed that it had let go of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as directors of its Han Solo Star Wars spinoff, the studio put on a major presentation at CineEurope in Barcelona.
While the as-yet untitled Han Solo project — due out next May — is a significant tentpole on Disney’s upcoming slate, the film was only briefly touched upon during the show, without any mention of the helmers’ departure.
David Hollis, president of worldwide distribution at the studio, later told The Hollywood Reporter that they hadn’t intended to show any footage from the film — which began shooting in February — at the trade show, and wouldn’t elaborate further about any last-minute disruptions the firing decision may or may not have made to CineEurope plans.
But off the back of a record breaking, $7.6 billion grossing 2016 for Disney, and at an event where its execs Lee Jury and Tony Chambers were being honored with the internartional distributor of the year award, there was still plenty on offer.
From the Lucasfilm label, the audience was treated to a special message from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Ryan Johnson, alongside the film’s latest trailer.
From Disney’s own live-action slate, Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon helped introduce A Wrinkle in Time in a video, while there also were looks at Christmas movies The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, starring Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren, and Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Blunt in the title role.
The Marvel Universe served up exclusive clips from the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, plus behind-the-scenes clips and footage from Black Panther, while Kevin Feige talked up 2019’s upcoming superhero mega-ensemble pic Avengers: Infinity War in a video. There was also a sneak peek at Ant-Man sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp.
From Walt Disney Animation, the CineEurope audience saw glimpses of two hotly anticipated sequels, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, due out in November 2018, and The Incredibles 2, due out in June 2018, with Brad Bird, who directed 2004’s original The Incredibles, introducing artwork and clips in a special video.
The presentation concluded with a peek at Pixar’s upcoming Lee Unkrich-directed animated feature Coco, set around Mexico’s famed Day of the Dead and focusing on a young boy who dreams of becoming an accomplished musician. Screenplay writer Adrian Molina and producer Darla Anderson took to the stage to show off artwork and several early looks of the film, due out Nov. 22 domestically.