The fate of The Multiverse (Saga) hangs in the balance! Following the powerhouse showing at San Diego Comic Con this past year, Marvel Studios had everyone completely psyched to see how The Multiverse Saga would play out. Boldly announcing several projects across Phases 5 and 6, audiences were thrilled, yet skeptical about whether or not the ambitious slate of shows and films would arrive as scheduled, given the sheer volume of it all.
It seems they were right to question it, as Feige’s house of awesome has announced several shifts to some of the most anticipated projects in its current schedule.
The first major setback happened about two weeks ago, as the highly anticipated reboot of Blade, starring Mahershala Ali, lost its director Bassam Tariq. Though he is still staying on as executive director, Tariq has not currently been replaced. And as such, as of today, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, which was supposed to begin production this month, has been officially placed on hold. And will vacate its November 3, 2023 release date, to instead be released on September 6, 2024.
However, that begs the question, what happens to the original MCU film slated for that date, Deadpool 3?
Well it seems that Blade has caused a bit of a cascading effect, as Deadpool 3 will now be shifting to November, 8, 2024, replacing Fantastic Four, which will now be released February 14, 2025.
Previously in the place of Fantastic Four was a yet-unannounced MCU film that will now move to November 7, 2025 ($10 says it’s Shang-Chi 2). And that, knocks out the juggernaut that is Avengers: Secret Wars over to May 1, 2026.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it seems, will be retaining its May 2025 slot, meaning we’ll have a lot more of an Infinity War/Endgame situation in terms of release than was previously announced.
That said, Marvel Studios is no stranger to huge release shifts in their announcements, as Phase 3 previously shifted a great deal following its announcement in October 2014. Literally almost everything announced for that phase ā be it the cancelled Inhumans or even the logo for Thor Ragnarok ā ended up shifting.
Infinity War was supposed to be a “Part I” and “Part II” film before the follow-up was retitled Endgame. And the phase even ended up squeezing in three new films into it before wrapping: both Tom Holland Spider-Man movies and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Thus, there’s no need to panic or worry. The Marvel machine is doing what it needs to do to ensure quality product is released ā whether it’s taking time to find the perfect director for Blade or even letting its audience miss it for just a little bit. It’s a shame, of course, we won’t be getting these films as soon as we wanted. But quality takes time, and it’s a good sign the studio cares enough about these films to not rush them.
For more updates about future MCU films, don’t forget to check out our MCU tracker. And stay tuned to The Nerds of Color for more updates!
