Disney shuffles release schedule: Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, Alien, and more!

Disney has just announced that they have just shuffled their entire release schedule. Some changes were expected (since the writers strike has prevented the start of production on Thunderbolts and Blade, those films have been delayed). Some that were unexpected (there are now two Star Wars movies scheduled to be released in 2026) and some are disappointing (one Avatar sequel has been pushed all the way into the 2030s). But, some are very cool – like Deadpool 3 being moved forward, and the new Alien movie from Fede Alvarez getting a theatrical release date.

Here’s how it shakes out:

Previously scheduled to reach theatres on November 8, 2024, Deadpool 3 has now been moved forward to May 3, 2024.

That’s just three days before the release date Captain America: Brave New World had been sitting on, but that movie has now been bumped back to July 26, 2024.

Thunderbolts had been set to reach theatres on that date, but since it hasn’t been able to start filming, it has moved back to December 20, 2024. For the same reason, Blade has been moved back from September 6, 2024 to February 14, 2025. And since that’s the day Fantastic Four was going to be released, that movie has shifted back to May 2, 2025.

Now we have a couple bigger delays in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since Fantastic Four bumped it out of its May 2nd release date (and since the script isn’t ready yet anyway), Avengers: Kang Dynasty has been delayed a year, to May 1, 2026. The other Avengers movie that was scheduled to be released on that date, Avengers: Secret Wars, has also been delayed a year. It’s now scheduled for a May 7, 2027 release.

Outside of the Marvel world, Avatar 3 has also been delayed a year, from December 20, 2024 to December 19, 2025. Which is nothing compared to the three year delays its sequels are getting. Avatar 4 has been moved from December 18, 2026 all the way back to December 21, 2029. Which means Avatar 5 has been pushed into the next decade, moving back from December 22, 2028 to December 19, 2031.

Here’s a few simple date announcements: 20th Century Studios will be releasing the Fede Alvarez Alien movie on August 16, 2024, and the Rami Malek thriller The Amateur is set for a November 8, 2024 release. Disney’s live action reimagining of Moana gets a June 27, 2025 release.

Now a surprise from a galaxy far, far away. Not only has Disney moved the Star Wars project that was scheduled for December 19, 2025 back to May 22, 2026, but they have also announced that another Star Wars movie will be released just months later, on December 18, 2026!

Disney has also set aside the dates of September 6, 2024; March 21, 2025; July 25, 2025; August 8, 2025; and November 7, 2025 for “Untitled Disney” projects.

What do you think of Disney’s updated release schedule? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

It’s always a bummer to hear there’s going to be an extra wait for a movie, but at least we have an idea of what we have to look forward to for a substantial chunk of the next several years.