Recent updates for Avengers: Doomsday and Christopher Nolan's next movie raised concerns the two theatrical giants may conflict with some of the MCU's biggest actors roles in the two films.
2026 is eyeing one of the biggest blockbuster line-ups in Hollywood history, with Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man 4, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, The Batman Part 2, and more all set to debut from major franchises.
But in a sea of sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and remakes, Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan will once again grace theaters with another original epic.
Christopher Nolan Clashes With Avengers 5 Filming
As Christopher Nolan stacks up the cast for his next movie, the Oscar-winning director has already signed up four key MCU stars for roles, which could interfere with plans for them to appear in Avengers: Doomsday.
Nolan has so far cast Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Zendaya (MJ), Charlize Theron (Clea), and Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia) in unknown roles.
Matt Damon, who will lead the Nolan film, has also appeared in the MCU as Asgard's Loki actor in Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, but he is, obviously, extremely unlikely to return for the next Avengers movies.
Other actors padding out Nolan's cast are Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.
As reported by Deadline, the director is expected to start to film his untitled blockbuster in early 2025, while Doomsday will then begin production over the spring (between March and May), leaving a high chance they will overlap.
This has raised concerns that the four stars' commitments to Nolan will limit their time on the Avengers set, thus reducing their roles in the movie.
The conflict will leave Holland and Zendaya particularly busy, as the superstar couple will also be filming Spider-Man 4 over the summer.
While it is uncertain whether Zendaya will appear in the MCU crossover, Holland is expected to have a "major role" in Avengers: Doomsday.
After Doctor Strange 2 sent Theron's Clea off to investigate Incursions with Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer, it is not too far-fetched to imagine her joining him and Earth's Mightiest Heroes to tackle the next Multiversal threat.
Looking at Nyong'o's Nakia, her involvement with Nolan probably will not have an impact on the MCU, as T'Challa's former lover has yet to appear in an Avengers movie so will likely be equally absent from Doomsday.
Why Christopher Nolan Won't Cause Problems For the MCU
The only official news on Avengers: Doomsday's filming window came from the Russo Brothers, who confirmed production will begin in spring 2025 with no estimate on when it could wrap to clear room for the focus to shift to Avengers: Secret Wars.
However, according to scooper Daniel Richtman (via Comic Book Movie), production should begin in March and run for around five months, meaning it should conclude in late summer, possibly around August.
The MCU insider made it clear that Robert Downey Jr. should be on set longest, spending around three months as Doctor Doom. Meanwhile, Doomsday's main heroes are expected to film for around a month, while the more minor supporting characters should only shoot for a week or two.
Of the four confirmed to join Nolan's next movie, the only ones likely to fall into the "main hero" bracket and film for an extended time are Spider-Man and Clea.
Looking at Christopher Nolan's untitled blockbuster, no filming window has been revealed beyond the early 2025 start. But as Oppenheimer filmed for only around three months from February to May, the same could be true for his next movie which would likely have production wrapped in the first half of the year.
This should leave plenty of time for the actors kept busy with Nolan to film their Avengers scenes later in production. Otherwise, actors could also split their time among the two sets, just as David Harbour recently did in hopp(er)ing between Thunderbolts and Stranger Things Season 5.
Regardless of how Marvel Studios juggles its filming schedules with Nolan, 2026 will undeniably be a huge year for Holland. Over the span of just one summer, the young British actor will play starring roles in Avengers 5, Spider-Man 4, and whatever the Oscar-winning director may have cooked up for audiences.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026. Christopher Nolan will debut his untitled next movie just two months later on July 17, 2026.
