NETFLIX MAKES MARVEL-OUS DEAL WITH DISNEY

The Marvel characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage will each have their own 13-episode TV series beginning in 2015 — but they will not air on TV, at least not immediately. The Walt Disney Co., which owns Marvel, and Netflix announced on Thursday that they had agreed to a deal that will bring the four series to the streaming service. The two companies said that they will also develop a miniseries, the Flawed Heroes of Hell’s Kitchen, to be presented in 2015. In a statement, Alan Fine, president of Marvel Entertainment, said, “This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel’s brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvel’s specialty.” Over the past year, Netflix has streamed several well-received original series, including House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, and it recently announced the acquisition of two critically acclaimed documentaries. Reporting on the Marvel deal, today’s Los Angeles Times commented, “Having established itself as a destination for “quality,” Netflix now appears to be getting into the tent-pole business, too.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.