Disney spent its Tuesday shaking up its movie release schedule in some very, very big ways. The biggest takeaway? That December 2025 Star Wars movie is no more. That’ll now be coming out May 22, 2026, and a second Star Wars movie is coming out later that year on December 18, 2026.
Also, after the huge success of Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron needs a bit more time to finish his saga. Actually, a lot more time. Avatar 3 will now be out a year later on December 19, 2025. Avatar 4 moves several years to December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 moves to December 2031. Will we even all still be around?
The bulk of the Marvel slate has moved too. Captain America: Brave New World was supposed to come out in May 2024 but now it’ll be out August 26, 2024. That delays Thunderbolts to December 20, 2024; Blade to February 14, 2025; and Fantastic Four to May 2, 2025. But what about the Avengers? They’re hurt worst of all. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is moving a whole year, from May 2, 2025 to May 1, 2026. That, in turn, moves Avengers: Secret Wars to May 7, 2027.
Deadpool 3, however, now moves up. Originally dated for November 8, 2024, we’ll now see it on May 3, 2024. The live-action Moana also entered the schedule. That’s coming on June 27, 2025. Also getting a release date: Fede Alvarez’s Alien movie, arriving August 16, 2024.
So why all the moves? Two words: writers strike. Movies like this can’t be made without scripts (despite what some critics might say), and with writers not currently working on them, things have to be delayed. The bigger surprise, for us, is the Avatar stuff. Those coming every other year seemed totally attainable but now there are three and four-year gaps? That seems wild, especially since they’ve all been preplanned. Then again, though, there was no guarantee before The Way of Water that parts four and five would ever happen and now, they certainly will. Also the bar is that much higher.
Finally, did Disney learn nothing from the previous Star Wars films? After a seven-year wait at this point, it thinks releasing two movies in the same year is a good idea? There’s so, so much to break down here.
Variety broke the news.
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