'Avatar,' 'Avengers': Disney announces reshuffle in release dates amid WGA-strike
What's the story
Disney, on Tuesday, announced the rescheduling of release dates for its upcoming Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar movies.
While Disney hasn't elaborated on the reasons behind the rearrangements, it could be attributed to the recent strategic restructuring of the company.
The move is also likely related to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which has resulted in production shutdowns within the industry.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Disney's reshuffling is because of the ongoing strike by Hollywood writers—the impact of which is expected to cause production shutdowns, potentially affecting release timelines.
The writer's strike, initiated by the 11,500 unionized screenwriters of the WGA, resulted from unsuccessful contract negotiations.
While it may have commenced in 2023, its effects are anticipated to be felt throughout 2024 and beyond.
Release dates
Release date changes: Here's when 'Avenger' films will hit theaters
The list includes the highly-anticipated Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which has been pushed from May 2, 2025, to May 1, 2026, reportedly.
As a result, it will be replacing Avengers: Secret Wars in the release schedule.
Additionally, Captain America: Brave New World has been rescheduled from May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024.
Consequently, it has a ripple effect on other MCU films.
Major change
'Avatar 3' will now come in 2025
One of the notable changes in release dates involves Avatar, an epic science-fiction series set on the fictional moon of Pandora.
Helmed by James Cameron, the release date for Avatar 3 has been pushed back by a year and now is scheduled for December 19, 2025.
Subsequently, the fourth installment moved several years to December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 moved to December 2031.
Twitter Post
Take a look at 'Avatar' producer Jon Landau's tweet
Each Avatar film is an exciting but epic undertaking that takes time to bring to the quality level we as filmmakers strive for and audiences have come to expect. The team is hard at work and can’t wait to bring audiences back to Pandora in December 2025. pic.twitter.com/DrFX01qzTa
— Jon Landau (@jonlandau) June 13, 2023
Details
'Deadpool's release date moved up and other significant changes
Interestingly, the third installment of Deadpool—starring Ryan Reynolds—has been moved up from November 8, 2024, to May 3, 2024.
In the realm of Star Wars, an untitled movie has been scheduled for December 2026, while another installment has been moved from December 2025 to May 2026.
Further, the release date for Fantastic Four has been pushed back to a later date in 2025.