Marvel Studios' first 2024 movie just got delayed due to the ongoing actors' strike in Hollywood.
Mere months ago, the MCU's super-powered slate for 2024 looked like it was going to be jam-packed, with - at one point - four films set to hit theaters (Deadpool 3, Captain America 4, Blade, and Thunderbolts).
However, plans have significantly changed. Disney reshuffled its line-up over the summer, moving Deadpool 3 up to May, Blade to 2025, Captain America 4 from May to July, and Thunderbolts to the end of the year in December.
But as the ongoing actors' strike looms large, the potential of further delays to the Marvel Studios slate has grown precipitously.
Deadpool 3 Gets Delayed
Following the SAG-AFTRA strike-caused production stoppages in Hollywood, Deadpool 3 has been delayed from its May 2024 release date.
As reported by Deadline, Deadpool 3 will move off its May 3, 2024 release with no new date announced.
The upcoming R-rated threequel was set to be Marvel's first 2024 movie, with filming having been shut down back in June because of the actors' strike.
The outlet noted Disney typically remains firm on its release dates, meaning Deadpool 3 moving to Captain America: Brave New World's July 26, 2024 release likely indicates a further reshuffling on the way for the MCU 2024 slate.
This comes mere days after reports of Disney wanting to keep Deadpool 3's original date.
According to the director of the Ryan Reynolds-led blockbuster, Shawn Levy, (via The Wrap) they have "shot half the movie [and] edited half the movie," which indicates the extent of the work left to do on the project:
“Certainly, the actors’ strike and the long pause in production have put that release date in true risk. We’ve shot half the movie. I’ve edited half the movie. We’re dying to get back to work and get this movie out next year.”
How Does Deadpool's Delay Affect the MCU Slate?
Given the rigidity of Disney release dates, it seems unlikely Deadpool 3 will be the only title on the MCU slate to get moved.
Marvel (along with the rest of Hollywood) has had to hit the pause button on production because of this past summer's dueling strikes.
While the writers bargained a new agreement with the studios, the actors have remained on the picket line.
This means incomplete MCU streaming series and big-screen blockbusters that were primed for a 2024 release date are sitting on ice with no work being able to be completed until the strike comes to a close.
There are a couple of titles in the hopper for the super-powered franchise that are either nearly finished or ready for release (i.e. the Echo streaming series, X-Men '97, and What If...? Season 2). So, the MCU will not go completely dark headed into 2024 with a few titles still able to be released.
But none of these are the big-screen theatrical affair the franchise has built itself on over the last 15 years. Deadpool 3 and Captain America 4 remain half-finished and movies like Thunderbolts have yet to even get started on filming.
While work on series like Spider-Man: Freshman Year (which is seemingly due out in 2024) can continue - as voice actors for animation fall into a different union's purview outside of SAG - if the actors' strike continues, this is only just going to be the beginning for delays to the MCU's 2024 timeline and beyond.
Deadpool 3 is set to be released sometime in 2024.
