Marvel Studios has announced that the highly anticipated movie, Deadpool 3, will be released on July 26, 2024, instead of the originally planned date of May 3, 2024. This shift in the release date is due to various factors, including the recent strike in Hollywood, which had halted the production of several films.
In addition to the change in Deadpool 3’s release date, other Marvel films have also been affected. Captain America: New World Order, which was initially slated for July 26, 2024, has now been pushed back nine months to February 14, 2025. Marvel’s anti-hero centric movie, Thunderbolts, starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, has been delayed to July 25, 2025, from its original release date of December 20, 2024. Blade, featuring Mahershala Ali, has also been postponed, moving to November 7, 2025, from its initial February 14, 2025 date.
The delays in the release of Blade and Thunderbolts were attributed to production issues, particularly the fact that the films did not have scripts ready in time, resulting in a shut down amid the writers strike in May.
With these adjustments to the release schedule, Marvel now has only one film scheduled for 2024, which is Deadpool 3, but has four films set for 2025, including Fantastic Four, previously scheduled for May 5, 2024.
Apart from Marvel films, Disney has also made changes to its release calendar, pushing Mufasa: The Lion King to December 20, 2024, from the original date of July 5, 2024. This adjustment was in response to the industry-wide rearrangement of releases following the end of the strike.
The production of Deadpool 3, which stars Ryan Reynolds and is directed by Shawn Levy, was among the Hollywood projects that had to halt shooting due to the strike. However, following the recent tentative agreement between SAG and Hollywood studios to end the strike, Marvel and the Deadpool team have resumed production efforts. The filmmakers have expressed their intention to complete filming and release the movie in summer, which is a prime time for superhero films.
These delays in production and release dates have not only affected Marvel and Disney but also other major Hollywood studios. Sony has also rearranged its release schedule, pushing back the release of Venom 3 from July 12, 2024, to November 8, 2024, to provide more of a cushion following the strike. Numerous other titles have shifted their release dates due to the strike and preceding writers’ strike, which ended in late September.
Despite the challenges posed by the strike, Ryan Reynolds remains committed to his role in Deadpool 3, assuring fans that the movie will be ready for the summer. In a post-strike tweet, Reynolds shared a photo of Dogpool, a doggy version of Deadpool, with a caption that hinted at the film’s release in summer 2024.
The industry-wide rearrangement of release schedules reflects the impact of the recent strikes on Hollywood productions. However, with the tentative agreement reached between SAG and Hollywood studios, efforts are underway to resume and complete production on the affected films. The delays in release dates are expected to be temporary, and fans can look forward to the highly anticipated films hitting the theaters in the coming years.