Netflix cancels new seasons of The Punisher, Jessica Jones as Disney develops new streaming channel

Netflix has cancelled two of its superhero series namely, The Punisher and Jessica Jones, on Monday, reports Variety. This move essentially signals the end of a five-year licensing partnership between the streaming giant and Disney-owned Marvel. [caption id=“attachment_6110341” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Punisher (left) and Jessica Jones. Image from Facebook[/caption] Meanwhile, Disney is gearing up to launch its own streaming media service Disney+ later this year. The channel will thus be a competition to the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Netflix has issued a statement, thanking the cast and the crew of both the shows. “We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning,” it reads. Read the complete statement below. “Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix. Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal, delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come. In addition, in reviewing our Marvel programming, we have decided that the upcoming third season will also be the final season for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. We are grateful to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others. We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.” However, this move does not mean that the streaming service will disassociate with superhero content altogether. One of Netflix’s newly launched series,  The Umbrella Academy , is a narrative about estranged siblings having extraordinary powers. The Umbrella Academy has been created by Steve Blackman, and features Ellen Page, Tom Hopper and David Castañeda. In August 2017, Netflix also acquired the comic book company Millarworld in order to develop other films and series on superheroes, reports CNBC. Kick-Ass and Kingsman, arguably Millarworld’s best works, were not part of the deal. But co-founders Mark and Lucy Millar joined Netflix, and are reportedly developing new series including their first one, titled Jupiter’s Legacy.