New Mutants, Ad Astra, other Fox films get new release dates post-Disney merger
As the big Disney-Fox Hollywood merger of 2019 continues to play out, films from the Fox side that were once in limbo have found new release dates.
Notably, The New Mutants, the horror-pegged X-Men spin-off starring Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams, has now been bumped for the third time to April 3, 2020. This was a big question mark considering the uncertain future of the X-Men franchise post-Dark Phoenix (which will still open on June 7) with the Disney acquisition.
Meanwhile, Gambit (starring Channing Tatum) and three untitled Marvel movies originally scheduled from Fox appear to have been wiped clear from the current schedule. However, fans of Marvel will be the first to point out that this could simply mean that characters from the Fox-owned universe might transition to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are a number of untitled Marvel films from Disney on the calendar. The studio is still figuring out how all of these superhero properties will work and hasn’t made a decision yet on what that might look like, EW has learned.
Ad Astra, the Brad Pitt-starred sci-fi film originally set to open this month, will now open later this year on Sept. 20.
As for Disney, among the new shifts in scheduling includes “three new as-yet-untitled Star Wars films” to be released “on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022,” per a press release. In addition, the “four forthcoming Avatar films, expanding the vibrant world of Pandora, will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2021.”
Since Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox film and television properties, the studio has been trying to figure out what its film slate looks like moving forward. Fox’s Mouse Guard movie was one of the casualties, as the project was dropped just weeks before production was set to begin. The animated film Nimona, based on the comic from She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson, still lives in the new release date of March 5, 2021.
Here is the updated list of Disney-Fox movies on the schedule:
Aladdin: May 24, 2019
Dark Phoenix: June 7, 2019
Toy Story 4: June 21, 2019
Stuber: July 12, 2019
The Lion King: July 19, 2019
The Art of Racing in the Rain: Aug. 9, 2019
Ready or Not: Aug. 23, 2019
Ad Astra: Sep. 20, 2019
The Woman in the Window: Oct. 4, 2019
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: Oct. 18, 2019
Ford V. Ferrari: Nov. 15, 2019
Frozen 2: Nov. 22, 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Dec. 20, 2019
Spies in Disguise: Christmas 2019
Underwater: Jan. 10, 2020
Untitled Kingsman movie: Feb. 14, 2020
Call of the Wild: Feb. 21, 2020
Onward: March 6, 2020
Mulan: March 27, 2020
The New Mutants: April 3, 2020
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: May 1, 2020
Artemis Fowl: May 29, 2020
Untitled Pixar movie: June 19, 2020
Free Guy: July 3, 2020
Bob’s Burgers: July 17, 2020
Jungle Cruise: July 24, 2020
The One and Only Ivan: Aug. 14, 2020
Death on the Nile: Oct. 9, 2020
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: Nov. 6, 2020
Ron’s Gone Wrong: Nov. 6, 2020
Untitled Disney animation movie: Nov. 25, 2020
West Side Story: Dec. 18, 2020
Cruella: Dec. 23, 2020
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: Feb. 12, 2021
Nimona: March 5, 2021
Untitled Disney live-action movie: March 12, 2021
Untitled Marvel movie: May 7, 2021
Untitled Disney live-action movie: May 28, 2021
Untitled Pixar movie: June 18, 2021
Untitled Indiana Jones movie: July 9, 2021
Untitled Disney live-action movie: July 30, 2021
Untitled Disney live-action movie: Oct. 8, 2021
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: Nov. 5, 2021
Untitled Disney animation: Nov. 24, 2021
Avatar 2: Dec. 17, 2021
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: Feb. 18, 2022
Untitled Pixar movie: March 18, 2022
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: May 6, 2022
Untitled Disney live-action movie: May 27, 2022
Untitled Pixar movie: June 17, 2022
Untitled Disney live-action movie: July 8, 2022
Untitled Disney Marvel movie: July 29, 2022
Untitled Disney live-action movie: Oct. 7, 2022
Untitled Disney live-action movie: Nov. 4, 2022
Untitled Disney animation: Nov. 23, 2022
Untitled Star Wars movie: Dec. 16, 2022
Untitled Disney live-action movie: Feb. 17, 2023
Avatar 3: Dec. 22, 2023
Untitled Star Wars movie: Dec. 20, 2024
Avatar 4: Dec. 19, 2025
Untitled Star Wars movie: Dec. 18, 2026
Avatar 5: Dec. 17, 2027
Other titles that have been left off this list are Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit and Lucy in the Sky with Natalie Portman, both Fox Searchlight titles. However, EW learned these films are still moving ahead, they just don’t have release dates as they don’t require as much advance planning as some of the bigger tentpole movies.
“We’re excited to put in place a robust and diverse slate that lays the foundation of our long-term strategy, bringing together a breadth of films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, Fox Searchlight, and Blue Sky Studios to create an extraordinary collection of cinematic experiences for audiences around the world,” Cathleen Taff, President of Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management, and Business & Audience Insights at The Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. “With a strong summer already in place, we are eager to carry that momentum forward over the coming years thanks to a creative wellspring of bold and imaginative stories coming from our world-class studios – including several new chapters of two revered franchises, Avatar and Star Wars.”
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