As of July 2019, Walt Disney Television has taken oversight of Hulu’s original scripted drama and comedy development. As Dana Walden, head of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment said, “This new structure will enable Hulu to have access to many of the best creators in the world and programming from all of the content engines inside of Walt Disney Television.”

Not only do we know that Disney intends to bring new content to Hulu, but we also know that there are Marvel shows aimed at adult audiences in development and in production specifically for Hulu.

On May 1, 2019, two new Marvel live-action series were announced to debut 2020 on Hulu: Helstrom and Ghost Rider. The new series joined The Runaways, and five previously announced Marvel animated series, all adult-oriented: M.O.D.O.K., Hit-Monkey, Tigra & Dazzler, and Howard the Duck, all culminating in the team-up special The Offenders.

However, on September 25, 2019, Hulu announced it was not moving forward with Ghost Rider citing artistic differences. And The Runaways finished its final season on Hulu in 2019. On January 24, 2020, Variety confirmed that neither Howard the Duck nor Tigra and Dazzler were moving forward at Hulu. M.O.D.O.K. and Hit Monkey are still on track to be completed, the former having recently announced an all-star voice cast, and Helstrom is still on track to premiere October 16, 2020.

Even though some projects were dropped, the takeaway is this - there are still Marvel shows currently in the works for Hulu. And executives at both Disney and Hulu realize the power and potential of a built-in fanbase such as Marvel’s, and are keeping consumers firmly in view:

It’s clear that Marvel will play a role in Hulu’s future. With plans already in place to expand Hulu’s content offerings and to develop adult-oriented Marvel entertainment for the platform, we strongly believe Daredevil can and should be a part of that future.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

During the Disney earnings call on August 04, 2020, Disney updated their expansion plans. Hulu will remain US-based while Disney rolls out a new service, Star, to specifically embrace international markets. Both Hulu and Star will offer more mature-rated entertainment.

Bob Chapek ‐ Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company: “Like many companies, we've had to find innovative ways to conduct our business during the pandemic. While we view this as a devastating situation for everyone affected, it has also forced us to consider different approaches and look for new opportunities. In the process, we're discovering ways to better serve our consumers during this challenging period...

...Given the rapid changes in consumer behavior, we believe it is more important than ever that we continue to grow our direct relationship with our customers. And to this end, I am also pleased to announce that we plan to launch an international, direct-to-consumer, general entertainment offering under the Star brand in calendar year 2021. Mirroring the strategy we successfully pursued with Disney+, the offering will be rooted in content we own from the prolific and critically acclaimed production engines and libraries of ABC Studios, Fox Television, FX, Freeform, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight. In many markets, the offering will be fully integrated into our established Disney+ platform from both a marketing and a technology perspective. And it will be distributed under the Star brand, which has been successfully utilized by the company for other general entertainment platform launches, particularly with Disney+ Hotstar in India. The fact that Disney+ has grown as rapidly as it has, both domestically and globally, clearly demonstrates the value of our content. And through the addition of our Star-branded general entertainment offering, we are further extending the value of that content internationally.

To this end, as I mentioned, we will be hosting another investor day in the coming months, focused on our plans to accelerate the push into the direct-to-consumer marketplace across our Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star brands. Personally, I am as optimistic as I could be about our way forward, and I'm excited to share more about our plans with you in the coming months.”

Ultimately, this doesn’t affect our goals to Save Daredevil! Disney’s international plans remains the same, but will now be split between Hulu and Star, each embracing more mature, adult-oriented content. In the meantime, Hulu Originals still usually reach viewers in other countries through international licensing deals with other local streaming platforms and television networks. The upcoming Disney Investor Day should bring more detailed information.