Disney pushes back several Marvel movie release dates

Walt Disney Co has announced it will be pushing back the release dates for some upcoming Marvel films including Blade, Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Following Blade director Bassam Tariq's departure from the project in September due to scheduling conflicts, Marvel decided to temporarily shut down production of the film to search for a new director.

Blade is slated to premiere on September 6 2024 instead of November 3 2023, which has impacted the rest of the studios' production scheduling.

Deadpool 3 has moved from September 6 2024 to November 8 2024; Fantastic Four has been shifted from November 8 2024 to February 14 2025; an untitled Marvel project was moved from February 14 2025 to November 7 2025; Avengers: Secret Wars has been pushed from November 7 2025 to May 1 2026; and an untitled Marvel movie went from May 1, 2026 to no longer being on Disney's release schedule.

A source familiar with the studio's plans told Reuters Marvel is using the Blade production break to find a replacement for Tariq to work with Moon Knight writer Beau DeMayo, who is the main screenwriter for Blade.

An unnamed source with authority on the film starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali told The Hollywood Reporter “they want to get it right”, which subsequently means delays.

The Marvel Blade character who first appeared in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula, written by Marv Wolfman in 1973, eventually had his own storyline later adapted into the Wesley Snipes film trilogy which includes, Blade, Blade II and Blade Trinity.

Throughout the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, stories have been intertwined and a significant delay from one film often impacts the slate for others. A similar postponement was made for the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to the pandemic and led to Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being pushed back as well. 

Reuters