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Disney shifts release dates for Marvel movies, Star Wars films, and Avatar sequels

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The writers’ strike has lasted about one-and-a-half months so far, and it doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. And now, Disney is making some major schedule changes to almost all of its upcoming franchise films. Avatar fans are going to feel it the most. Avatar 3 has been pushed back a year from December 2024 to December 19, 2025. The other sequels, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, have been delayed to December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031, respectively. That’s a three-year delay for both titles from their previous release dates.

Marvel’s 2024 slate is also getting a big shake-up, with Captain America: Brave New World moving away from its summer opening slot on May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024. The Thunderbolts movie is shifting from July 26, 2024, to December 20, 2024, the former release date for Avatar 3. That will make it only the second MCU movie to be released in December after Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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The lone bright spot for Marvel fans in 2024’s schedule update is that Deadpool 3, which features Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is actually moving up from November 8, 2024, to May 3, 2024. This suggests that the upcoming Deadpool sequel is much further along than the other Marvel movies.

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20th Century Studios

The Marvel movie schedule for 2025 has also been upended, with Blade landing on February 14, 2025, and the Fantastic Four reboot hitting theaters on May 2, 2025. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is moving out of 2025 entirely and settling down on May 1, 2026. Its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, is also moving back a year to May 7, 2027.

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Disney’s 20th Century Studios has also scheduled the next Alien film for August 16, 2024. This is the project that is being helmed by director Fede Álvarez, with Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced in the leading roles. The project was originally envisioned as a Hulu original movie before getting a slot on the theatrical release schedule.

Disney scheduled its live-action Moana remake for June 27, 2025. Curiously, Lucasfilm has two Star Wars films scheduled for 2026, one on May 22, 2026, and the other on December 18, 2026. However, that will likely change. The last time that that two Star Wars movies were released within six months of each other, Solo: A Star Wars Story became the first film in the franchise to disappoint at the box office. Presumably, Lucasfilm and Disney won’t make the same potential mistake again. But time will tell.

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Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
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