Avatar: Water Road
Courtesy: The Disney Company.
Disney On Tuesday, it revealed a change in the film’s release calendar, delaying several entries in the Avatar, Marvel, and Star Wars franchises.
The company hasn’t clarified the decisions behind the release date rearrangement, though studios often adjust their schedules for a variety of reasons. The moves come as a writers’ strike has crippled the film and television industry, causing production halts that could affect release schedules.
Many high-profile films and shows have halted production or ended prematurely since the start of the strike. These include Netflix“Stranger Things” for “Stranger Things”appleTV +, “Severance” and BasicCNBC reported in May that the series, “The Evil.”
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
James Cameron’s third “Avatar” movie has been moved from 2024 to December 2025, with the fourth film following in 2029. The company’s release calendar indicates that the fifth installment in the franchise is now set to be in 2031. “Avatar,” released in 2009, and “Avatar: Waterway,” released late last year, are two of the top three highest-grossing films worldwide.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the recently retitled “Captain America: Brave New World” will be delayed from May to July next year, with “Thunderbolts” moving to December 2024, “Blade” moving to February 2025 and “Fantastic Four” now. specific. In May 2025.
The changes also affect the two upcoming Avengers movies in the MCU. “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” has been delayed by a year to May 2026. “Avengers: Secret Wars” won’t be released until May 2027.
Actor Jonathan Majors, who played Kang in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was arrested on assault charges earlier this year and is said to face more abuse charges. Earlier reports said he denied the allegations through his lawyer, but he was dropped by his old management company. Marvel has been silent on Majors’ case.
After the box office disappointment of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Disney CEO Bob Iger pondered whether Marvel should prioritize more recent characters instead of continuing to create third and fourth films for established legacy characters.
Disney has also pushed back its planned “Star Wars” movie from December 2025 to May 2026. It’s also added another Star Wars movie to the schedule as well – set for December 2026. Disney has yet to release a Star Wars movie. Movie since “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019.