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Ghost Rider on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
- Hulu's partnership with Marvel is growing after Netflix canceled its own Marvel shows.
- Hulu announced two new Marvel series, "Ghost Rider" and "Helstrom," on Tuesday.
- Disney, which owns Marvel, now owns majority stake in Hulu, and ended a licensing deal with Netflix this year.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
Hulu is escalating its Marvel content output after Netflix canceled its own Marvel TV shows.
The streamer announced on Tuesday two new Marvel TV shows on top of several others already in development: "Ghost Rider" and "Helstrom," both set to debut in 2020.
Below is how Hulu described the two series:
"Marvel's Ghost Rider, also known as Robbie Reyes, is a quintessential antihero, consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon. Reyes lives on the Texas/Mexico border and when he unleashes the Rider, Robbie brings vengeance for the innocents he encounters, but struggles to control the power he wields. 'Marvel's Ghost Rider' is executive produced by Ingrid Escajeda, who will serve as showrunner, Paul Zbyszewski and Marvel's Jeph Loeb.
"Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer in Marvel's Helstrom. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity -- each with their attitude and skills. Marvel's Helstrom is executive produced by Paul Zbyszewski, who will serve as showrunner and Marvel's Jeph Loeb."
Ghost Rider has appeared in two movies starring Nicolas Cage: 2007's "Ghost Rider" and its 2012 sequel, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." Cage played a different incarnation of Ghost Rider, named Johnny Blaze. The character Robbie Reyes appeared on ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series.
Business Insider has reached out to Hulu for clarification on whether this new series will spin out of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Hulu is also developing four Marvel adult animated series - "M.O.D.O.K.," "Hit-Monkey," "Tigra and Dazzler Show," and "Howard the Duck" - that will eventually culminate in the event series "The Offenders." A third season of Marvel's "Runaways" is in the works as well.
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Disney, which owns Marvel, also has a majority stake in Hulu after the Fox merger. The company is releasing its own standalone streaming platform, Disney Plus, in November, which will also include Marvel shows spinning out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that Disney Plus will be family friendly, but that he's open to R-rated material after the Fox merger. This means that Fox assets and adult-friendly content will likely wind up on Hulu, drawing a clear line between Hulu's Marvel projects and those on Disney Plus.
Hulu's expanded partnership with Marvel comes after Netflix canceled all of its Marvel TV series, which included "Daredevil," "Luke Cage," "Jessica Jones," "Iron Fist," and "The Punisher" (the third and final season of "Jessica Jones" will be released this year).
Data provided to Business Insider showed that Netflix's Marvel shows had significantly lost an audience over time. But the timing of the cancellations is also notable, given that Disney ended a licensing deal with Netflix this year ahead of the Fox merger and launch of Disney Plus. When considering all of these factors, it's unlikely we'll see Netflix's shows revived on either platform.