For the first time in 63 years, the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild are on strike at the same time, and this is delaying the release of many films and TV shows. Hopefully the studios will bargain in good faith soon, but until then here are some of the changes. All of these are subject to further change, release dates are in flux even when there isn’t a strike in the mix.
Dune: Part Two
The Dune sequel is already completed, but Vanity Fair reported that Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, and Florence Pugh, is now coming out March 15, 2024. The date was moved several times even before the strike. Warner Bros. wants to maximize this movie’s promotion (and success) by finding an “ideal release date”. Director Denis Villeneuve explained Part Two will be unique. “Part One is more of a contemplative movie. Part Two is an action-packed, epic war movie. It is much more dense. We went to all new locations,” he said. “I didn’t want a feeling of repetition. It’s all new sets. Everything is new.” Villeneuve also said that he has already begun writing an adaptation of Dune Messiah, the second Dune book by Frank Herbert.
Minecraft
The NZ Herald reported that the Minecraft movie was set to begin filming in NZ in August, but production was suspended after the strike hit. International productions may also join in support of the WGA and SAG. The film is set to star Jason Momoa, Pedro Pascal, and Matt Berry. Warner Bros. has set the release date for April 4, 2025, which may be delayed further. Minecraft has been in development for over a decade, and has had several changes in cast and director. Currently Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) will direct the film. Swedish game developer Mojang is part of the team.
Deadpool 3
The superhero sequel was filming in the U.K., with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds. There are several superhero cameos rumored to be in the film. Shawn Levy (Night At The Museum) is directing. Deadpool 3 is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 3, 2024, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. This may be unrealistic.
Lilo & Stitch
A live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated Disney movie was filming on Oahu in Hawaii in August, and is now suspended.
Chris Sanders returns as the voice of Stitch, Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) is directing. Release may be in 2025*.
Mortal Kombat 2
The video game sequel was filming in Australia. Simon McQuoid returns as director, there is no release date just yet.
Venom 3
The third chapter of the Tom Hardy Spider-Man spin-off antihero saga has paused filming, but Sony still has the release date set as July 12, 2024. This may be unrealistic.
Avatar 3
Avatar 3 will move to a 2025 release date, with Avatar 4 coming in 2029 and Avatar 5 in 2031, per the Hollywood Reporter. Avatar 3 has already begun filming.
Blade
The Marvel vampire thriller, starring Mahershala Ali, is also delayed because of the strike. Blade is to be the final film of Phase 5 in the Multiverse saga, so its release may depend on other films going first. Still listed asreleasing on February 14, 2025.
Kraven the Hunter
This Spider-Man spinoff villian’s film will come out in August 2024 instead of October of this year so its stars, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (KickAss), can embark on the superhero movie’s global press tour.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
The final film in Marvel’s “Spider-Verse” animated trilogy, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, has pushed its March 2024 release date into the future. Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller said they’re “going to take all the time it needs for it to be a great and satisfying conclusion.”
Beetlejuice 2
Production for the sequel of Tim Burton’s 1988 fantasy-comedy film was close to complete but will have to wait until after the actors strike is over before they can finish post-production and work on a release date. Marketing sucks when you can’t use any of the actors.
There are several projects in the MCU and DCU that have tentative release dates, but these will likely change. It gives a sense of how far ahead studios plan
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
- Finished film, but no release date set.
Captain America: Brave New World (2024)
- A continuation of the television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it has already wrapped filming.
Fantastic Four (2025)
- Yep, they’re trying again. Still in rewrites, now on pause.
Superman: Legacy (2025)
- Still in rewrites, now on pause.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026)
- Scheduled to begin filming 2024
Untitled Star Wars (2026)
- Two untitled Star Wars films are also being pushed back to a 2026 release. Star Wars fans will also have to be patient for season 4 of The Mandalorian, and there is talk of a Taika Waititi Star Wars film.
Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)
- Still in rewrites, now on pause.
We hope the studios will pay a fair wage to the artists and craftspeople who make these cinematic adventures. They really are engaged in a fight for not only their individual survival, but in many cases the survival of their chosen vocations as well.
* This may give them an opportunity to fix the unrecognizable character design for Stitch. One would think Disney might have observed a valuable lesson from what happened to Sony Pictures and Sonic the Hedgehog.
David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.
