Marvel postpones 'Deadpool 3,' 'Blade,' 'Fantastic Four' and other major films from Phase Five
Marvel fans will have to wait a little bit longer to watch upcoming movies from Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Disney announced on Tuesday, Oct. 11, that the release dates for several major Marvel movies including Deadpool 3, Blade, Fantastic Four, Avengers: Secret Wars and more will be postponed.
Originally set to premiere on November 3, 2023, Blade director Bassam Tariq's departed from the project due to a conflict in the schedule that created a ripple effect on the rest of the studio's scheduling for Phase 5 and 6.
Marvel confirmed that the project will be released almost a full year after its intended release date on September 6, 2024, following the search for a new director.
After the Blade production's scheduling conflict, Disney overhauled its new calendar of films. Deadpool 3 has been rescheduled from Sept. 6, 2024, to Nov. 8, 2024; Fantastic Four has shifted from Nov. 8, 2024, to Feb. 14, 2025; an untitled Marvel film has been pushed from Feb. 14, 2025, to Nov. 7, 2025; Avengers: Secret Wars pushed back from Nov. 7, 2025, to May 1, 2026; while another untitled Marvel film scheduled for May 1, 2026, was removed from Disney’s raft lift of movies.
The delays of such movies have a practical effect on the start of MCU's biggest-ever Phase 6, which was expected to begin with Fantastic Four in 2024.
MCU's upcoming movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has seen no impact in its big screen release on November 11, 2022. The sequel to 2018's Black Panther is the 30th film in the MCU and marks the final film of Phase Four.
This is not the first time that the MCU has had movie pushbacks caused by scheduling conflicts. In 2021, Marvel movies delayed theater releases for movies including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.