Disney has once again shaken up its release calendar by delaying several upcoming Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar movies. According to Deadline, this shift is mainly due to the ongoing writers’ strike in Hollywood, which has caused screenplays to not be ready, leading to a pause in production.
The release dates for the three upcoming Avatar movies have been delayed by at least a year, with the fifth film now set for a release in 2031. Avatar 3, which is expected to introduce the ‘Ash People’ representing the fire culture, has been delayed by exactly a year, moving from December 20, 2024, to December 19, 2025. Meanwhile, James Cameron’s Avatar 4 shifts from December 18, 2026, to December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 goes from December 22, 2028, to December 19, 2031.
Despite Cameron’s confirmation that scripts for the next three Avatar films are already locked in, the overall shifting of other Disney movies due to the strike is pushing the sci-fi sequels even further. Producer Jon Landau tweeted in response to the news, stating that “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.”
Marvel Movies Delayed Due to Writers’ Strike
The Blade movie and Thunderbolts, Marvel’s attempt at its own Suicide Squad, will wait until the writers’ strike calms before rolling the cameras. The former now moves from September 6, 2024, to February 14, 2025, while Thunderbolts will hold onto its 2024 window, moving from July 26 to December 20.
Deadpool 3, which marks Hugh Jackman’s return to the role of Wolverine, has been brought forward by six months, from Nov. 8, 2024, to May 3, 2024. Captain America: New World Order has been delayed from May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024, and has undergone a title change to ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’
It appears as though scripts for the upcoming Avengers movies aren’t ready either, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty moving an entire year from May 2, 2025, to May 1, 2026. In doing so, it’s replacing Avengers: Secret Wars, which now jumps to May 7, 2027. Disney wants to ensure that the delay will guarantee smooth quality in the post-pandemic era of the MCU.
Post-Pandemic MCU Struggles with Quality
The post-pandemic era of the MCU has been unsatisfactory, with weak scripts and poorly rendered VFX leading to a loss of confidence from fans, alongside lower box office numbers. VFX artists on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania previously blamed Marvel for prioritizing other projects over theirs.
The Fantastic Four reboot, which has already been going through a tough time switching directors, will now release in May 2026, going from February 14 to May 2.
Star Wars Films Get Delayed and Added to Schedule
2026 marks an essential year for Star Wars fans, with two untitled movies expected to release. One of them has been pushed from December 2025 to May 22, 2026, while the other has just been added to Disney’s calendar. During the Star Wars Celebration event in April, Disney confirmed that three Star Wars movies are in the pipeline, with one of them bringing back Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker. It is unclear if that’s one of the untitled movies.
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