Disney, having consumed the past, present, and future of 20th Century Fox earlier this year, has plans for the next seven years. Have you thought about 2027? One of the biggest media companies on the planet has, because that’s when Avatar 5 comes out. Avatar 5! In a major land grab, Disney announced on Tuesday all of its release day plans for the next seven years. Here’s the major news: The next Star Wars movie arrives in 2022 After making clear that the Star Wars movies were “on hiatus” after this December’s The Rise of Skywalker, Disney confirmed with the release schedule that fans would get another sequel — or new trilogy kickoff — in three years. Whether that’s Rian Johnson’s trilogy or whatever Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are cooking up is unknown. But per Disney’s announcement, the film will kickoff “three new as-yet-untitled Star Wars films will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022.” Marvel has Phase 4 plans for 2020 and beyond Marvel Studios’ post-Endgame releases are technically unknown, but we know Phase 4 movies include a Black Widow standalone, an adaptation of Eternals, a Shang-Chi movie, and Black Panther 2. Marvel has two 2020 movies on the calendar, slated for May 1, 2020 and November 6, 2020, and three untitled films planned for both 2021 and 2022. With writer-director James Gunn booked for Suicide Squad in the immediate future, expect Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 to take one of the late dates. The next Disney live-action remakes are revealed Disney packed 2019 full of animation-to-IRL conversions, even following Lion King with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil into the mix on Nov. 10, 2019. The schedule reveals what’s next: Mulan, set for March 27, 2020, and Cruella, a 101 Dalmatiens redux starring Emma Stone, dated for Dec. 23, 2020. Disney has eight “untitled live-action” projects sprinkled throughout 2021 and 2022, many expected to follow suit in adapting well-known animated works. New Pixar movies remain a mystery Pixar announced the company’s next, original project, Onward, in late 2018. Other than, we know nothing — and continue to know nothing. Based on the last decade of production, sequels to the animation studio’s hits seem likely. Inside Out 2? CoCtwo? Wall-F? 2020 will see two new Pixar films, followed by a single release in 2021, and another double serving in 2022. The new Indiana Jones movie has a release date Steven Spielberg announced his involvement with Indiana Jones 5 in 2016, with an expected release of 2019. That didn’t happen, but the director does intend to make the movie with Harrison Ford. It’s officially on Disney’s calendar for July 9, 2021. Artemis Fowl gets a release date shift The highly anticipated YA adaptation from director Kenneth Branagh won’t hit theaters in 2019 as expected. After sitting in an August slot for more than a year, Disney has kicked the movie to May 29, 2020. The New Mutants has a new release date ... again The X-Men horror movie, shuffled around time and time again at 20th Century Fox, has yet another new release date, having been bumped from this August’s calendar. The movie, which stars Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, will bow on April 3, 2020, in theory. The Kingsman prequel is still happening A holdover from Fox, the announcement revealed that the third movie in Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar’s series remains on track for a Feb. 2, 2020 release. Blue Sky Animation will continue production on Nimona Disney now owns Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, and Blue Sky, the company behind Ice Age and this year’s wild-looking Will Smith animated film Spies in Disguise. Thankfully, the studio will remain active after the acquisition; Blue Sky’s Nimona, an adaptation of Noelle Stevenson’s graphic novel, is slated for March 5, 2021. Disney will release a new Avatar movie every two years through 2027 James Cameron’s plans to extend his CG spectacle into a five-film series holds after the Fox merger, with the first still set for Dec. 17, 2021. Whether the continued releases are dependent on the success of the sequel is unclear, but for now, we’ll return to Pandora every Christmas for the next decade, and with an ensemble of new Na’vi and human characters. Here’s the full Disney calendar, including 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight projects: Disney’s 2019 Films Tolkien (Fox Searchlight) - May 10, 2019 Aladdin (Disney) - May 24, 2019 Dark Phoenix (Fox) - June 7, 2019 Toy Story 4 (Disney) - June 21, 2019 Stuber (Fox) - July 12, 2019 The Lion King (Disney) - July 19, 2019 The Art of Dancing in the Rain (Fox) - Aug. 9, 2019 Ready or Not (Fox Searchlight) - Aug. 23, 2019 Ad Astra (Fox) - Sept. 20, 2019 The Woman in the Window (Fox) - Oct. 4, 2019 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney) - Oct. 18, 2019 Ford v. Ferrari (Fox) Nov. 15, 2019 Frozen 2 (Disney) - Nov. 22, 2019 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney) Dec. 20, 2019 Spies in Disguise (Fox) - Dec. 25, 2019 Disney’s 2020 Films Underwatch (Fox) - Jan. 10, 2020 Untitled Kingsman Movie (Fox) - Feb. 14, 2020 Call of the Wild (Fox) Feb. 21, 2020 Onward (Disney) - March 6, 2020 Mulan (Disney) March 27, 2020 The New Mutants (Fox) April 3, 2020 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - May 1, 2020 Artemis Fowl (Disney) - May 29, 2020 Untitled Pixar Animation (Disney) - June 19, 2020 Free Guy (Fox) - July 3, 2020 Bob’s Burgers (Fox) - July 17, 2020 Jungle Cruise (Disney) - July 24, 2020 The One and Only Ivan (Disney) - Aug. 14, 2020 Death on the Nile (Fox) - Oct. 9, 2020 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - Nov. 6, 2020 Ron’s Gone Wrong (Fox) - Nov. 6, 2020 Untitled Disney Animation (Disney) - Nov. 25, 2020 West Side Story (Fox) - Dec. 18, 2020 Cruella (Disney) - Dec. 23, 2020 2021 Films Untitled Marvel (Disney) - Feb. 12 - 2021 Nimona (Fox) - March 5, 2021 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - March 12, 20213/12/21 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - May 7, 2021 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - May 28, 2021 Untitled Pixar Animation (Disney) - June 18, 2021 Untitled Indian Jones (Disney) - July 9, 2021 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - July 30, 2021 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - Oct. 8, 2021 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - Nov. 5, 2021 Untitled Disney Animation (Disney) - Nov. 24, 2021 Avatar 2 (Fox) - Dec. 17, 2021 2022 Films Untitled Marvel (Disney) - Feb. 18, 2022 Untitled Pixar (Disney) - March 18, 2022 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - May 6, 2022 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - May 27, 2022 Untitled Pixar (Disney) - June 17, 2022 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - July 8, 2022 Untitled Marvel (Disney) - July 29, 2022 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - Oct. 7, 2022 Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - Nov. 4, 2022 Untitled Disney Animation (Disney) - Nov. 23, 2022 Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 16, 2022 2023 Films Untitled Disney Live Action (Disney) - Feb. 17, 2023 Avatar 3 (Fox) - Dec. 22, 2023 2024 Films Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 20, 2024 2025 Films Avatar 4 (Fox) - Dec.19, 2025 2026 Films Untitled Star Wars (Disney) - Dec. 18, 2026 2027 Films Avatar 5 (Fox) - Dec. 17, 2027<doc-sep>Star Wars Episode IX hasn’t even come out yet, but Disney has already announced plans for the future of the iconic movie franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company has updated its theatrical release schedule, and now we know when we can expect new “Star Wars” films after this year’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” completes the original saga, dating back 40 years. The report says Disney plans on releasing new movies on Dec. 16, 2022, Dec. 20, 2024, and Dec. 18, 2026. It looks like we’ll have to go three years without new movies set in that galaxy far, far away. Which is totally fine, because who is asking for more “Star Wars” movies? The jury is still out on whether the current trilogy is a success (obviously it’s winning at the box office, but I’m talking from a storytelling standpoint). Again, that’s because the final movie hasn’t even come out yet. I’ve been a fan of the series since I was a kid and saw the last three films from the current saga on the night each movie debuted. But Star Wars overload will be the death of us (and allure of the series? ). “The Force Awakens” was met with so much intrigue because we went 10 years without a new Star Wars film. Since it came out in 2015, we’ve been “treated” to a new movie every year. I get this is the age of “what have you done for me lately,” but as one of my college TV production professors used to say, “Let it breathe.” A three-year gap before a new trilogy is merely just a gasp for air. I’m not the only one who feels this way. Just ask folks on Twitter. Oh God I can feel myself having series fatigue already and I have even watched episode 9 yet #starwars https://t.co/7V0ftap1g6 — WishFishYT (@WiseFishGaming) May 7, 2019 The world was a much better place when there were only 3 Star Wars movies — CacaPistola 🇵🇱🔫 (@BenBielski9) May 7, 2019 feels a bit soon to already announce another star wars saga so soon after the current one but okie dokie — 🌸 Alannah 🌸 (@itsalannahm) May 7, 2019 @Disney please stop making Star Wars movies — nick (@npro8999) May 7, 2019 Look, I’m an optimist, but the “Rise of Skywalker” trailer doesn’t look all too enticing, and last year’s “Solo” was the first Star Wars movie to flop at the box office. Hey Disney, maybe we should make like Ross and Rachel and take a break (but three years may not be long enough). Tennyson Donnie Coleman may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV. Find him on Facebook. Have a tip? Let us know at nj.com/tips.<doc-sep>
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in December, but the future of the long-running franchise on the big screen was unclear beyond that as Disney suggested they would receive somewhat of a break. We know the franchise's TV presence is expanding significantly with the launch of Disney+, but we now also know the release dates for the next three Star Wars movies, which are due in theaters over the next seven years. As part of detailing its upcoming movie release slate--which goes out as far as 2027--Disney has confirmed that new Star Wars films will be released on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024, and December 18, 2026. The movies will alternate with releases of James Cameron's Avatar movies--Avatar 3, 4, and 5 will arrive in December 2023, 2025, and 2027 respectively. Further details about the next batch of Star Wars movies are currently unknown. There are two separate series in development, one from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, and the other from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. It has been rumored that work on Benioff and Weiss's series is further along, with Star Wars Net recently reporting that their first movie will begin production this fall. However, this has not been officially confirmed. In any case, it is notable that the Star Wars release schedule has slowed down. When the series relaunched in 2015 with The Force Awakens, Disney's plan was to release a movie each year. However, the commercial failure of 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story reportedly led to plans for further spin-offs to be cancelled, with Disney boss Bob Iger admitting in September 2018 that the movies so far had been released "a little too much, too fast." More recently, Iger described how the series was going on a hiatus after the release of The Rise of Skywalker. "We have not announced any specific plans for movies thereafter," he said. "There are movies in development, but we have not announced them. We will take a pause, some time, and reset, because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie. There will be other Stars Wars movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus." In the small screen, the live-action Star Wars show The Mandalorian premieres in the fall, when the streaming platform Disney+ launches. There is also a show focusing on the Rogue One character Cassian Andor in development for the service. Disney has also announced release dates for several new Marvel movies, as well as a new slot for the much-delayed New Mutants.