Disney Shuffles Release Schedule as Actors’ Strike Ends
By Movieguide® Contributor
As Hollywood prepares for a flurry of production following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Disney has shifted its release schedule, primarily pushing back its Marvel projects.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD has been rescheduled from July 2024 to February 2025, taking the spot of BLADE, which was shifted to November 2025.
Other changes include THUNDERBOLTS, whose July 2024 release was changed to December of that year. THUNDERBOLTS has yet to start production due to the strikes. DEADPOOL 3 also had its May 2024 release date canceled without a new one set. The movie will likely be one of the first projects completed post-strike, as it is already over 50% finished.
“Obviously, we’d like to try to preserve a summer of films. The entire industry is focused on that,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger after the SAG deal was reached. “We don’t have much time to do that.”
Beyond Marvel projects, Disney has also delayed the release of MUFASA: THE LION KING sequel from July 2024 to December. It has also canceled two unnamed movies originally slated for July and November 2025.
These changes are happening as the reality of the strike’s end comes into play. Every movie and television production is fighting for actors who have committed to multiple projects that stacked up during the strike. It is unclear what projects will have priority over others, but industry-wide delays are inevitable.
However, there is still a slight backlog of content that studios have been holding onto until the actors’ strike ended so their stars could promote the movies. DUNE: PART TWO, for example, was delayed earlier this year for this reason.
Studios can now release these movies and keep the box office afloat as they work to fill the content void left by the dual actors’ and writers’ strikes.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The SAG-AFTRA strike began over 118 days ago, and the actors’ union and the AMPTP finally reached a deal Wednesday evening.
According to Deadline, “Coming just less than a month after Writers Guild members overwhelmingly ratified their own agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, SAG-AFTRA’s deal is the culmination of the latest round of renewed negotiations that began October 24. Indicating the seriousness and stakes of the negotiations, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav frequently directly participated in the talks.”
The union sent an email saying, “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”
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