The world has effectively come to a standstill due to the spread of coronavirus. The virus has affected every facet of life and has forced millions to practice physical distancing as a means to flatten the curve and control the outbreak.
The entertainment industry is no exception and it has been forced to either shut down or delay operations of upcoming movies. The health of all the workers is first and foremost.
Two movies that have not yet moved their release dates are Soul and Tenet. Soul, a Disney/Pixar film, is still scheduled for a June 19 release date which at the moment is quite optimistic and if the spread continues this may be pushed back. Tenet, the Christopher Nolan thriller, is still scheduled for a July 17 release date. While this is a little further back moviegoers might still be weary of attending if restrictions are lifted in early summer.
No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond, was the first of the major movies to be rescheduled. The film was already mired in controversy before it even began shooting. Craig, now infamously, said that he would rather slash his wrists then play Bond again. He would later clarify to say that Bond was the best job he’s ever had but that it was very physically demanding. Producer Barbara Broccoli said that the film would wrap up several loose narrative threads from the previous Craig Bond films, and “come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion”. The movie is now set for a November 25 release date
PHOTOSOURCE: No Time to Die, Universal Pictures
Mulan was originally scheduled for a March 27 release and even had early preview screenings. Erik Davis of Fandango had this to say in a tweet: “It’s definitely its own thing, which I dug — a more mature Disney film, featuring stunning production design & fight choreography. Director Niki Caro & star Liu Yifei are the big stand-outs.” The movie has now been pushed back to July 24.
Wonder Woman 1984, the next big DC blockbuster, was supposed to come out this June but has been moved to August 14. This is the second schedule change for the film which initially eyed December 2019 but opted against that so as to not compete with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. When news came out about the new date Patty Jenkins tweeted the following: “We made Wonder Woman 1984 for the big screen and I believe in the power of cinema. In these terrible times, when theater owners are struggling as so many are, we are excited to re-date our film to August 14th 2020 in a theater near you, and pray for better times for all by then”
PHOTOSOURCE: Black Widow, Disney/Marvel
Over at Marvel, Black Widow, the first in their Phase 4, was slated for May 1st. It’ll now be released on November 6. This date was supposed to be for The Eternals but that movie along with every other Phase 4 project, aside from Black Panther, has been moved back slightly. The new dates are as follows:
Black Widow – 6 November 2020
The Eternals – 12 February 2021
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten-Rings – 7 May 2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – 5 November 2021
Thor: Love and Thunder – 11 February 2022
Black Panther 2 – 8 May 2022
Captain Marvel 2 – 8 July 2022
Paramount Pictures has also announced a handful of release date changes: Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick is moving from June 24 to December 23, 2020. A Quiet Place Part II will now open nationwide September 4. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run is moving from May 22 to July 31, 2020 and The Tomorrow War, starring Tom Hanks, is moving off its December 25 release date and is currently unscheduled.
PHOTOSOURCE: A Quiet Place Part II, Paramount Pictures
Sony Pictures made the following amendments to its release schedule: Ghostbusters: Afterlife will release on March 5, 2021; Morbius is now on March 19, 2021; Uncharted, October 8, 2021 and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, January 15, 2021. The releases of Greyhound and an untitled Sony-Marvel collaboration that was set for October next year have been indefinitely delayed. However, the release of Fatherhood has been bumped up to October 23.
The latest Minions movie The Rise of Gru was postponed from its release date on July 3. Illumination Entertainment’s Paris office was forced to shut down due to the coronavirus, so the film was not able to be finished in time. Universal will release the film on July 2, 2021, a full year after its initial date.
The release of the next Fast & Furious installment, F9, has been delayed from May 22 to April 2, 2021. Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson, has been pushed back a full year as well to July 30, 2021
Films that have halted production include the following: Mission Impossible 7, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts 3, The Matrix 4, and the Avatar sequels.
Your list of postponed films is very thorough! I am surprised you didn’t mention the upcoming movie, “Scoob”. I’ve heard the project was scheduled for a spring release, but will now premiere on digital platforms. On my blog, I have an award I created called “Sally’s Star of the Year”. If you’re interested, you can submit your nomination at this link:
https://18cinemalane.wordpress.com/2020/04/17/the-moment-youve-all-been-waiting-for-the-gold-sally-awards-star-of-the-year-award/
Scoob is actually being released straight to video/digital just like the new Trolls movie.