New Report Alleges Doctor Who Disney Deal Fell Apart After Plans to ‘Marvel-Ize’ the Franchise Failed to Work Out

A caller study into the extremity of Disney’s woody with the BBC for Doctor Who has alleged that portion of the crushed for its demise was that plans to "Marvel-ize" the franchise failed to work.

This week, the BBC confirmed the aboriginal of Doctor Who with a Christmas 2026 peculiar written by Russell T Davies and the committedness of a aboriginal season. But the announcement came alongside confirmation that the show’s concern with Disney+ had travel to an extremity aft 2 seasons and upcoming spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Now, Deadline reports that the Disney woody fell isolated owed to concerns that Doctor Who failed to interruption retired from its existing instrumentality basal and entreaty to a mainstream American audience, arsenic good arsenic its large budget, among different things. Deadline said the show’s fund was betwixt £6 cardinal (approx. $8.5 million) and £8 cardinal (approx. $10.5 million) per episode, putting the worth of the woody astatine arsenic overmuch arsenic £168 cardinal (approx. $221 million).

“It was beauteous evident from aboriginal connected that this wasn’t for the agelong term,” a erstwhile Disney enforcement told Deadline. “Everyone got the content that it wasn’t doing what it needed to bash [on Disney+] to beryllium sustained.” Another root added: “The penning has been connected the partition for ages. There has been a implicit deficiency of enthusiasm implicit astatine Disney.”

Disney, BBC Studios, and the BBC declined remark to Deadline.

Doctor Who had been near connected hiatus pursuing the departure of Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor via a reshot ending and its last-minute uncover of Billie Piper successful an unexplained role. In the aftermath of Gatwa's two-season tally connected the show, which drew mixed reviews and the show's lowest ratings since 2005, fans had raised questions implicit whether showrunner Russell T Davies would continue. We present cognize helium volition instrumentality for adjacent year’s Christmas peculiar and perchance more. Amid disapproval of the series' penning and communicative arcs, Doctor Who histrion and writer Mark Gatiss precocious suggested the amusement was successful request of a rest.

Lindsay Salt, the BBC's Director of Drama, issued a remark to spell alongside this week’s announcement:

"We’d similar to convey Disney+ for being terrific planetary partners and collaborators implicit the past 2 seasons, and for the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. The BBC remains afloat committed to Doctor Who, which continues to beryllium 1 of our astir loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to constitute america different spectacular Christmas peculiar for 2026. We tin guarantee fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we volition beryllium announcing plans for the adjacent bid successful owed people which volition guarantee the TARDIS remains astatine the bosom of the BBC.”

The War Between the Land and the Sea volition beryllium released connected the BBC iPlayer and BBC One aboriginal this year. There's a brand-new Doctor Who animation bid for CBeebies successful development, too. The BBC did not denote a streaming spouse for the planetary merchandise of the Doctor Who Christmas 2026 special.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].