Disney and Marvel Studios are outlining the next few years of upcoming releases, and superhero fans should be pretty excited for what’s on the docket.
Well, except for 2020.
Disney and Marvel Studios have outlined what the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s slate looks like through 2022 and into 2023, as reported by Collider. We know that Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 will end the current generation of Marvel films, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 helping to usher in an entirely new period for the universe, and that Spider-Man: Homecomingwill receive two sequels. That’s about it, though. We can assume that Black Panther, Doctor StrangeandCaptain Marvelwill receive their own sequels post-Avengers 4, but Marvel hasn’t confirmed anything.
Here’s what we do know: Marvel Studios is currently planning to release seven films after Avengers 4, in what has come to be known as Phase 4 of the MCU.
Six of those movies will hit theaters in 2021 and 2022, with only one movie planned for 2020. Director James Gunn has already gone on the record to announce that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released in 2020, and we can assume from the new slate that it will come out on July 31, 2020. Polygon has reached out to Disney for confirmation.
That also implies we can safely assume that Spider-Man: Homecoming’s first sequel, Black Panther’s sequel and Doctor Strange’s sequel will be released in 2021 or 2022. It’s nearly impossible to try and guess what the other five slots will be used for, but we have to imagine that another Avengers-type situation will arise. It could be a new reiteration of the Avengers — minus some of the original characters we’ve grown to love — or a completely different superhero group.
Disney also announced another interesting change regarding one of its live-action movies. Nicole, a holiday movie that was scheduled to be released in 2019 and possibly star Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader, will no longer open in theaters. The studio is instead saving it as an exclusive release for its upcoming stand-alone streaming service. Disney CEO Bob Iger has spoken about trying to make the service more appealing to subscribers by offering exclusive content. Nicole joins aforementioned live-action series focusing on four of Disney’s popular franchises (Marvel, Star Wars, Monsters Inc. and High School Musical).
It’s clear that Disney is beginning to think of how to sell its service and build up its library of offerings before the service debuts. There’s no launch date yet beyond late 2019, but Iger said the service will be substantially cheaper than Netflix’s current price point.
Disney’s full list of its films’ release dates — including the confirmation that Mulan is being pushed back to 2020 — can be read at Collider.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
