Several of Marvel Studios'' planned movies have been canceled, and this is due to its Blade film reboot.
As part of a press release from Walt Disney Studios, Marvel has removed some of its superhero films from their previously scheduled production schedules. Blade, among them: the departure of director Bassam Tariq, the hiring of Beau DeMayo (The Witcher, Moon Knight) to rewrite the entire script, and Mahershala Ali''s frustration with the movie''s delays.
Blade will no longer be released in November 2023, with Marvel also confirming it''ll arrive on September 6, 2024 instead. According to a new report, the release date rejig, plus the Marvel Phase 5 film''s issues, will not begin filming until early 2023. The move will, according to Marvel, allow it to tweak the anti-hero film''s script and conduct an in-depth search for Tariq''s replacement. Slash Film (opens in a new tab) also claims
Another Marvel Phase 5 release has been impacted by Blade''s delay. Deadpool 3, which was only announced in late September, has been bumped back to November 2024. Blade''s initial launch was originally scheduled for September 2024. The Merc with a Mouth''s MCU debut was now set for Blade.
Blade''s delay in Deadpool''s third film isn''t the only movie to be affected by Deadpool''s delay. Fantastic Four and Avengers 6 have also been delayed, but Avengers 5 will be restored until May 2, 2025.
Here''s a brief history of when these films will now be released in theaters:
MCU films that are currently untitled will appear in Marvel Cinemas in 2025, while Fantastic Four and Avengers 5 will appear in cinemas in 2026.
There is no indication on which films will take those slots. However, it''s probable that an Armor Wars the Don Cheadle-starring film that was initially a Disney Plus show but will now be turned into a film will fill one of the positions. Shang-Chi 2, a sequel to Eternals, Doctor Strange 3, and a fifth solo outing for Thor are among those candidates.
Fortunately, every Marvel film preceding Blade in Phase 5 will still be released in their original theatrical slots. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Ant-Man: Quantuamania, Guardians 3, The Marvels, Captain America 4, and Thunderbolts will all be released between November 2022 and July 2024.
Analysis: a welcome universal shift
While some of these highly anticipated films have been delayed, it''s a little depressing to make some.
The release timeline for Marvel Studios has been hampered for months, particularly in the wake of the Phase 5 and 6 movie and television show announcements at Comic-Con 2022 and D23 Expo 2022. There are currently around 20 projects coming in Phase 5 alone, including ten live-action and animated series on Disney Plus. That''s a lot of content to pack into the next two years and for individuals to consume in the same time.
From a movie perspective, making 11 MCU films available between February 2023 and November 2025 was always a challenging task. It seemed too good that we would have two Avengers movies in 2025 without one. These are massive tentpole films, so stretching out the space between their launch dates will allow them (and other next MCU films).
A redesign of its release schedule will hopefully give Marvel the opportunity to produce certain, if not all, of these films and shows without lengthy crunch periods. As the incidence of She-Hulk''s post-production phase revealed, the Disney subsidiary needs to do more when it comes to the safety of first and third-part employees. This means more time and effort to craft these projects with the appropriate care and attention they deserve. Fingers crossed
Check out more MCU-based content before watching the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, read back on the two Marvel Phase 4 projects planned for release before the 2022 season finale, or see what they might do with Werewolf by Night''s Man-Thing.