While some projects are finally heading back into production after recent delays, this morning brings news of a slew of release dates being pushed back.
News of such delays are commonplace right now, with the COVID-19 pandemic still very much at play across the globe.
First up, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II has been pushed back yet again. Originally planned to hit the silver screen this past March 20, the film was then moved to July, and now comes word from Paramount Pictures that the follow-up has been pushed to April 23, 2021.
Elsewhere, director Scott Cooper’s Guillermo del Toro-produced Antlers has been set for February 19, 2021. Starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, and Jeremy T. Thomas, that mystery-laced horror was original to be released through Disney Searchlight this past April.
Speaking of Disney, several big hitters have run into delays at the House of Mouse. Of course, if you remember, Black Widow was one of the first major releases to be shunted due to the pandemic. That solo offering for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha was intended to hit the big screen in April of this year, but was quickly moved to this November. Now, Tom Holland’s Web-head has seen his next Spider-Man outing swung back from November 2021 to December 2021 by Disney and Sony Pictures.
The other Disney big ‘uns to be hit are the Star Wars and Avatar franchises. A new trilogy of Star Wars pictures was intended to begin in December 2022, although that start date for this trio has been moved to December 2023. That film will then be followed in December 2025 and December 2027 by the second and third legs in this trilogy. As for Avatar, James Cameron’s Avatar 2 has gone from a December 2021 release to December 2022 at the House of Mouse. In a knock-on fashion, that then moves Avatar 3 to December 2024, Avatar 4 to December 2026, and Avatar 5 to December 2028.
All of these delays come hot on the heels of Warner Bros. completely pulling Christopher Nolan’s Tenet from the WB’s release schedule for the foreseeable future.
After yesterday’s news that Bill & Ted Face the Music will be released on VOD on the same September 1 date that it begins a limited cinema run, it could well be that certain future releases take this same approach during these most uncertain of times.
The only problem there, mind, is that so many of these upcoming movies are big-budget affairs where having no cinema run would make it impossible to pull in any substantial return to balance out that hefty budget or to make any semblance of a profit – which is why studios are hesitant to a) release films to cinemas at a time when audiences are extremely minimal, or b) release direct-to-VOD and likewise take a financial hit.
As ever, expect more on all of these movies as we get it.
