Disney teases new Marvel franchise beyond Avengers, boasts of over 7000 characters to explore

Following the global success of Avengers: Infinity War, which has smashed box office records since its release last month, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger has hinted that there will be more Avengers films in the coming years. The 67-year-old Disney honcho said his “Marvel team” is exploring the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe after the yet-untitled Avengers 4, which he said would “have a significant conclusion” to the Marvel comic book franchise. “Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don’t think people should conclude that there will never be another Avengers movie,” said Iger. “There’s certainly a lot more stories to tell, a lot more characters to populate those stories with.” _Also read: Avengers: Infinity War co-director Joe Russo reveals why Bruce Banner was unable to unleash the Hulk_ [caption id=“attachment_4456613” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War has set the record for the highest opening weekend box office collection in India[/caption] Avengers: Infinity War, which brought together more than 20 Marvel superheroes, continues to set new box office records. It has already earned more than $1 billion globally, even before it opens in China. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo shot an as yet untitled follow-up back-to-back with Infinity War, which is scheduled for release on 3 May, 2019. Avengers 4 marks the culmination of 19 MCU films but details of the plot have not been released. Also read: Avengers: Infinity War — Here's what Groot told Rocket in the Marvel film's heartbreaking ending Iger added that Disney would also likely “try our hand at what I’ll call a new franchise beyond Avengers,” noting that there were some 7,000 characters in the Marvel universe that could be explored in film. Iger was speaking after Disney announced quarterly profits that topped Wall Street forecasts, partly based on the success of Marvel movie Black Panther. Disney already has two other Marvel movies set to be released within the next year - Ant-Man and the Wasp in July, and Captain Marvel in March 2019. With inputs from agencies