A New “Star Wars” Movie is Part of Disney’s Upcoming, Reshuffled Film Slate
We’ve already written about how Deadpool 3, the eagerly-anticipated pairing of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, will now hit theaters six months earlier than originally scheduled, yet it’s but one move that Disney recently released. As the studio readjusts its upcoming slate due to the writer’s strike, they’ve added a new Star Wars film to the schedule. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key moves.
For Disney’s nautical-themed adventures, a live-action Moana will sail into theaters on June 27, 2025. Later that year, James Cameron’s Avatar 3 will now hit theaters on December 19, 2025, with the two remaining sequels coming later than originally planned—Avatar 4 has been moved to December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 will land on December 19, 2031. That would close out Cameron’s epic saga 22 years after the original Avatar burst into theaters in 2009.
These Avatar moves will provide some extra time for the production team, who are consistently pushing the envelope and developing new technology to capture the franchise’s signature look and feel:
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. pic.twitter.com/DrFX01qzTa
— Jon Landau (@jonlandau) June 13, 2023
Over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the reshuffling includes the aforementioned Deadpool 3, which will now move up to May 3, 2024, a full half year earlier than its original November 8, 2024, scheduled premiere date. Captain America: Brave New World has moved from May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024. This has bumped back the antihero team-up movie Thunderbolts to December 20, 2024, the long-awaited arrival of Mahershala Ali in Blade to February 14, 2025, and Fantastic Four to May 2, 2025. The next Avengers films are getting the most significant bump; Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is now arriving a year later than originally planned, from May 2, 2025, to May 1, 2026, in turn moving Avengers: Secret Wars from that May 1, 2026 release date to May 7, 2027.
And what about that new Star Wars movie? It will arrive on December 18, 2026, which means it will be one of two Star Wars films to debut that year, as a second film set in a galaxy far, far away has gone into hyperdrive and moved from December 19, 2025, to May 22, 2026. A third Star Wars film is slated for December 17, 2027. If you’re curious which Star Wars films they’ll include—the Daisy Ridley-led, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed film, or possibly the one set in the ancient past by director James Mangold, Disney isn’t telling—yet.
For more stories on Disney, Marvel Studios, and what’s streaming or coming to Disney+, check these out:
“Deadpool 3” Release Date Moved Up Six Months
“Flamin’ Hot” Editor Kayla Emter Spices Up Eva Longoria’s Tasty Biopic
New “Secret Invasion” Teaser Finds Nick Fury in a World of Trouble
Featured image: Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX. Courtesy Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Studios
