Disney Turns to Gen Z Male Audiences in Bid to Revive Marvel and Lucasfilm
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Disney has grown increasingly concerned about losing its young male audience. As reported by Variety, the company has asked writers and producers to pitch original story concepts specifically targeting this demographic.
The report notes that the studios have quietly begun developing projects aimed at the 13-to-28 age group in an effort to create content more engaging than video games for a segment long overlooked.
In recent years, Disney has suffered unprecedented setbacks with both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars franchise. Films like Thunderbolts and series such as She-Hulk and The Acolyte underperformed dramatically, forcing the company to admit that prioritizing quantity over quality was a mistake. At the same time, Disney pushed out unnecessary sequels and even planned to reorient franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean toward female-led storylines.
David Greenbaum, former head of Searchlight and now overseeing Disney’s live-action division, has been tasked with finding compelling narratives for Gen Z males. He will collaborate with Daria Cercek, who helped Paramount deliver major hits like Sonic the Hedgehog and Smile.
George Lucas recently reminded Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard that the target audience for these kinds of films has always been “12-year-old boys.”
