As concerns over the outbreak of COVID-19 sweep the nation, Disney has taken some precautionary measures in regards to their upcoming releases. Feature films such as Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers have been pushed back in an urge to limit large public gatherings. All Disney live-action films currently in production, such as The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan and Wendy, have also suspended production. Jumping over to Marvel, Black Widow, the first Phase 4 MCU film, has officially been pushed past its May 1 release date. That, and Shang-Chi and The Legend Of The Ten Rings which only began filming weeks ago is on hold as well due to its director choosing to self-isolate. Now, Disney and Marvel Studios are putting the brakes on some of their smaller productions, including all of those that are to debut on Disney+.
REPORT
According to Variety, production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki has been paused. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was the first to report a delay after filming came to a halt in Prague. Other Disney+ shows, such as Hawkeye and She-Hulk, that are still in pre-production are continuing accordingly.
WHAT THIS MEANS
With The Falcon and The Winter Soldier set to hit Disney's streaming service this August, there's no telling if it, along with the other Marvel Disney+ series', will stick to schedule accordingly. WandaVision still has a December 2020 release with Loki following soon after in Spring 2021. The delays are in conjunction with numerous other entertainment-related ones due to COVID-19, with movies such as F9 having been pushed back an entire year. Unlike F9, however, the concern isn't over viewers gathering at theaters to see the movie, it's ensuring the safety of those working on production, most of which is taking place overseas. The release dates will depend on whether or not all of the precautions being set do, in fact, slow the spread of the virus. If not, they may instead heavily rely on when Black Widow lands in theaters and if The Eternals stays in its theatrical spot as well.
The fate of the MCU is pretty unknown at this point in regards to actual plot, so it wouldn't be surprising if Marvel Studios is extra peculiar over how exactly they release their projects. For fans alike, that may mean waiting just a bit longer to see how it all unfolds.
