During an earnings call early in May, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would limit its Marvel movie output and cut the number of TV series spinoffs for the franchise. The decision to reduce the MCU’s output to “two good films” a year comes after Iger questioned the studio’s strategy, as audiences’ “superhero fatigue” started to show at the box office, with The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania becoming certified box office bombs.

While Disney’s intellectual property (IP) is “second to none,” Bob Iger seems ready to focus on quality content that is either original or a sequel. “We had gone through a period where our original films in animation were dominating. We are now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels,” Bob Iger said, according to Deadline. Ideally, finding a balance between new and old is the focus of Bob Iger.

As Disney shifts away from the superhero IP that has dominated the box office for a little more than a decade, could screenwriters have the opportunity to tell more original stories with Disney’s stamp of approval?

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Going the Way of the Western

Film communities have talked about “superhero fatigue,” or the audience’s exhaustion from the seemingly never-ending superhero releases, for the last few years. However, Hollywood took a little bit longer to catch up to the conversation, as the films and series were still guaranteed box office wins.

By the end of 2023, superhero films were no longer a sure thing to bet on. For the first time in more than two decades, the top three movies at the box office didn’t include a single sequel or remake. Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Oppenheimer dominated. Even though these films were based on IP, they were successful stand-alone films that made Hollywood, Disney in particular, sense the shift in moviegoing as it misstepped like never before.

Nothing is forever, and—in the words of Steven Spielberg—superhero films have gone “the way of the Western.”

Read More: How Taylor Sheridan Is Redefining the Western Genre

'Oppenheimer' (2023)

The End of the Superhero Films

While the superhero movie will never die, the genre’s heyday seems to have reached its endgame. Something else will have to fill the void, and studios might be looking for something original that is worth spending a Marvel-sized budget on.

As franchise films lose steam at the box office, a glimmer of hope appears, rooting for the original screenplay to make it to the big screen.

Original screenplays matter in Hollywood, despite the trends of sequels, remakes, and spin-offs. While most screenwriters rely on and thrive with writing assignments, having an original spec script in your profile is crucial for when studio execs are ready to hear a new pitch.

There are only 107 films slated for theatrical release in 2024, largely a result of the dual strikes in 2023 and the lack of box-office success with franchise films. Hollywood is recovering from the aftershock and could be ready to respond to the films that do hit and cost less. Civil War, Bob Marley: One Love, and The Beekeeper, all original films, are leading the box office this year with significantly lower budgets than the $100 million sequels.

Hollywood could be ready to greenlight more original films from up-and-coming screenwriters who have tight scripts that hit the beats audiences want to see on the silver screen.

Read More: Is This the End of Existing IP Domination?

'The Beekeeper' (2024)

Remember, IP Is Forever

If you are struggling to crack the story in your original screenplay, don’t worry. IP will always reign as king in Hollywood. It’s existing content that studio executives can measure the success of, giving green screenwriters the chance to showcase their storytelling skills and understanding of screenplay structure.

From Ronda Rousey successfully getting her first screenplay, which is based on her memoirs, picked up by Netflix to horror screenwriter C. Robert Cargill sharing the power of adapting short stories, IP can be a screenwriter’s ticket to getting that first screenplay adapted.

The IP well is deep, and there are plenty of stories that need to be told on the silver screen. The problem is that no one has adapted the story for the screen… yet.

Studios like Disney are not willing to take big risks like they did in the 1970s, but they are looking to take a chance on projects they believe might work. However, you must put the work into crafting an excellent screenplay that gives studio executives hope that your project is worth the time and money it will take to make the story a success.

Read More: The Aftermath of Marvel's "Civil War" of Its Own

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Superhero films are not dead, but they are no longer the profitable prize picks that serve a small pool of writer-directors. As we shift into this new era of Hollywood, there could be a lot more opportunities for original stories to grace the screen.

While you should never stop writing, it might be time to change your perspective on what Hollywood studios like Disney want. Instead, consider what you want and craft a perfect screenplay that tells the best story possible. Audiences want to be entertained by something new. One of the biggest Hollywood studios wants a box office win. And there you are, writing an original script that could be exactly what the studios are looking for.

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