Disney is unstoppable right now, with Avengers: Endgame on track to become the highest-grossing film of all time, Star Wars Episode 9 and the Disney+ streaming service set to close out the year, and the $71.8 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox in the books. Now, Disney has announced its slate of upcoming film release schedule including plans up to 2027, giving us a look into the future of franchises like Star Wars, Marvel Phase 4, and the Avatar sequels. Here's everything you need to know:
Star Wars drought
The big news here is that after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it's going to be a while before we return to a galaxy far, far away. Three as-yet-unnamed Star Wars films are planned for the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022, which could potentially be the new trilogy from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. Hopefully, you'll be able to stand the Star Wars drought in 2020 and 2021 by tuning in to the Star Wars: The Mandalorian TV show streaming exclusively on Disney+ starting this November.
Avatar angst
The four sequels in the works for James Cameron's Avatar have been shifted back a few years each. They'll act as the big end-of-year movies alternating with Star Wars on every other pre-Christmas weekend, starting in 2021 with Avatar 2. I'm still amazed that Fox and now Disney saw fit to make four sequels to the just-ok 2009 film, but I guess that's what happens when you're the highest-grossing film at $2.7 billion. The Avatar films have a long history of delays, so hopefully these dates announced today will stick.
Marvel madness
Marvel movies will continue going strong with Phase 4 of the MCU (which can now incorporate characters like X-Men and Deadpool after the Fox merger), following the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame. We'll be getting three superhero films every year in 2020, 2021, and 2022, starting with The New Mutants movie from Fox on April 3, 2020. Other highlights include an untitled Indiana Jones movies for July 9, 2021, Disney's continued commitment to live-action remakes of its animated classics, and even a Bob's Burgers movie from Fox coming July 17, 2020. Here's a complete list of all the movies and dates Disney released today:
Here's a complete list of all the movies and dates Disney released today:
2019
- Tolkien (Fox Searchlight) - May 10
- Aladdin (Disney) - May 24
- Dark Phoenix (Fox) - June 7
- Toy Story 4 (Disney) - June 21
- Stuber (Fox) - July 12
- The Lion King (Disney) - July 19
- The Art of Racing in the Rain (Fox) - Aug 9
- Ready or Not (Fox Searchlight) - Aug. 23
- Ad Astra (Fox) - Sept. 20
- The Woman in the Window (Fox) - Oct. 4
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney) - Oct. 18
- Ford v. Ferrari (Fox) - Nov. 15
- Frozen 2 (Disney) - Nov. 22
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Dec. 20
- Spies in Disguise (Fox) - Dec. 25
2020
- Underwater (Fox) - Jan. 10
- Untitled Kingsman Movie (Fox) - Feb. 14
- Call of the Wild (Fox) - Feb. 21
- Onward (Disney) - March 6
- Mulan (Disney) - March 27
- The New Mutants (Fox) - April 3
- Untitled Marvel (Disney) - May 1
- Artemis Fowl (Disney) - May 29
- Untitled Pixar (Disney) - June 19
- Free Guy (Fox) - July 3
- Bob’s Burgers (Fox) - July 17
- Jungle Cruise (Disney) - July 24
- The One and Only Ivan (Disney) - Aug. 14
- Death on the Nile (Fox) - Oct. 9
- Untitled Marvel (Disney) - Nov. 6
- Ron’s Gone Wrong (Disney) - Nov. 6
- Untitled Disney Animation - Nov. 25
- West Side Story (Fox/Amblin) - Dec. 18
- Cruella (Disney) - Dec. 23
2021
- Untitled Disney Marvel - Feb. 12.
- Nimona (Fox) - March 5
- Untitled Disney Live Action -March 12
- Untitled Disney Marvel - May 5
- Untitled Disney Live Action - May 28
- Untitled Pixar - June 18
- Untitled Indiana Jones - July 9
- Untitled Disney Live Action - July 30
- Untitled Disney Live Action - Oct. 8
- Untitled Disney Marvel - Nov. 5
- Untitled Disney Animation - Nov. 24
- Avatar 2 (Fox) - Dec. 17
2022
- Untitled Disney Marvel - Feb. 18
- Untitled Pixar - March 18
- Untitled Disney Marvel - May 6
- Untitled Disney Live Action - May 27
- Untitled Pixar - June 17
- Untitled Disney Live Action - July 8
- Untitled Disney Marvel - July 29
- Untitled Disney Live Action - Oct. 7
- Untitled Disney Live Action - Nov. 4
- Untitled Disney Animation - Nov. 23
- Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 16
2023
- Untitled Disney Live Action - Feb. 17
- Avatar 3 (Fox) - Dec. 22
2024
- Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 20
2025
- Avatar 4 (Fox) - Dec. 19
2026
- Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 18
2027
- Avatar 5 (Fox) - Dec. 17
"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,” said Disney's Cathleen Taff 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."
There's a lot to look forward to among the upcoming movies of 2019 and beyond. As for the present, see what's happening this week in games and entertainment with our latest Release Radar:
