‘Black Widow’ Moves To November 6; MCU Phase 4 Calendar Shifts Accordingly
by Erik Amaya
Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will start a little later than expected.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Widow, delayed from its original May 1st release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now open on November 6th, the date previously held by Marvel’s Eternals. Consequently, the entire Phase 4 film calendar will be shifting back at least one release date. Eternals is now set to open on February 12th, 2021. Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings will open on May 7th, 2021 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is moving to November 5th, 2021. Thor: Love And Thunder, meanwhile, shifts to February 28, 2022. The third Spider-Man MCU film is still set for its July 16th, 2021 release, but a delayed production would likely push it out of that slot.
Looking into Phase 5 territory, Black Panther 2 remains in the May 8, 2020 date it has held since it was first announced at last summer, but Captain Marvel 2 is moving up two weeks to July 8, 2022.
It is unclear if the Disney+ Marvel shows — which are parts of Phase 4 and 5 — will also realign their schedules, but considering the outbreak delayed all three in-production programs, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki, it seems likely the latter two will switch to 2021 release with Falcon and the Winter Solider taking WandaVision‘s December 2020 window. Provided, of course, production can resume later this summer.
Disney has also moved a number of its other releases with Mulan set to open on July 24th and Jungle Cruise moving to next summer with a new July 30th, 2021 release date. The untitled fifth Indiana Jones picture is moving an entire year to July 29th, 2022. The 20th Century Studios film calendar has also changed.
The fate of New Mutants, though, remains unclear. Disney plans to debut the also often-delayed Artemis Fowl on Disney+, so Hulu may be the cast-off X-Men film’s best destiny.
Of course, all of this is still provisional as shelter-at-home orders may preclude productions from resuming or beginning. But, hopefully, these dates will lock in and we can all enjoy some more Marvel Studios productions before the end of the year.
