Key conclusions
- A recent deal with Disney+ has increased the reach of Doctor Who, indicating an exciting future for the franchise.
- Rumors surrounding the future of Dr. Nkuti Gatwa create uncertainty over the direction of the show.
- The possibility of David Tennant's return signals a possible return to safe, unoriginal narrative paths.
The Doctor Who The franchise appears to have recently received its latest and most experimental Doctor to date, but a recent case and months of rumors seem to indicate that this iteration of the iconic character is set to change his appearance once again in the future.
Doctor Who has been the epitome of British TV science fiction for decades, with the miracle of in-universe regeneration allowing a revolving door of talented, powerful stars to take on the lead role of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who has adventures across time and space. In a recent move to bring this flagship show to a wider audience, Disney has jumped on the bandwagon and put the show on its Disney+ streaming service for viewers outside of the BBC's UK remit. This partnership and expanding reach showed that there is much to look forward to in the future Doctor Whoand Davis even recently weighed in on a potentially awesome sci-fi crossover with Star Trek, an idea that's already been tested in their respective mobile games.
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While Davis returns in 2021 Doctor Who was heralded as extremely effective at a time when the iconic IP could have done better, it seems like there may still be some issues with the show. Recently, the current Dr. Nkuti Gatwa has moved on The Graham Norton Show and stated: “We've done series two this year, the Christmas release is coming up, and next year we're filming series three.” While this was generally seen as positive news when the press briefings were released, eyebrows began to be raised when the show aired and the comments were changed to read: “We finished season two earlier this year, it's Christmas coming up, the episode is coming out … on Christmas … But it was amazing.” While Deadline was able to dispel the rumors by confirming that the change was not made at the behest of the BBC, but by editorial choice, the whole thing seems to indicate that Gatwa's relatively recent ascension to the role appears to be coming to an end.
The problem is that a third series of the Fifteenth Doctor already looked unlikely for several reasons, and the BBC distanced itself from his comments. “As we've said before, a decision on a third season will be made after the second season airs, and as always, we don't comment on speculation,” a production representative confirmed in a statement. This echoes the sentiments expressed in the last issue Doctor Who Magazine franchise boss Russell T. Davis, who went on to insist that's how it's always been done. Rumor has it that Disney is going to cancel Doctor Who after season 2 due to its failure to attract the audience the company was looking for when it struck a deal with the BBC to Doctor Who for the US and other international markets, and those whispers have been echoed in some significant circles. Considering these rumors along with the revisions, it's hard to see good omens for Dr. Gatwa.
Gatva's biggest disadvantage is the built-in transition tool his b-gen left the creative team with. The ever-loving David Tennant is already in the show's current narrative, Doctor Who could easily go back to what worked before, taking another step in the direction of the exciting trend that the MCU seems to have borrowed from the franchise with the return of Robert Downey Jr. While many fans would be happy to see Tennant back at the center, it would be a sign of ill health for the franchise as a whole and a white flag of sorts for the current spate of new character attempts, for better or worse.
For now Doctor Who It looks set to return to tradition with a Christmas special at the end of the year, and having made a lot of promises about the quality and appeal of a second series from Gatwa, it's unclear what the chances are of the show going down any better with fans. While Gatwa's time as the Doctor wasn't as poorly received as Jodie Whittaker's run, it's hard not to see a downward trend in the franchise, similar to the struggles the MCU and DCEU have faced over the past few years. Fans will have to wait and see if the Doctor can handle this difficult situation or if he will have to regenerate once more.
The Doctor Who the franchise is available to stream on Disney+ in the United States and other markets outside the UK.
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Source: Deadline