Marvel’s 2022 and 2023 Phase Four Movies Delayed

Marvel’s Phase Four is on the move again. On Monday, Disney announced that all its upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in 2022 and 2023 would be delayed, reportedly due to production issues that are causing a knock-on domino effect. As such, each MCU Phase 4 title is taking the place of the one after it. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is jumping from March 25, 2022, to May 6, 2022. That pushes Thor: Love and Thunder to July 8, 2022. In turn, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is moved to November 11, 2022. Owing to that, The Marvels is pushed to February 17, 2023. And lastly, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania gets flicked to July 28, 2023.

The only MCU Phase 4 title that is sticking to its release date is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was pencilled in for May 5, 2023. Of course, that’s also the case for the next two MCU chapters, Eternals on November 5 and Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17, but that’s only because they are ready, finished, and awaiting release. With the new delay, that means there will be only three Marvel Studios titles on the big screen in 2022, down from four in 2021: Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home (co-produced with Sony Pictures). Also, we are looking at a five-month gap between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

Additionally, Disney has also moved an “untitled Marvel movie” from November 10, 2023, to November 3, 2023 — and scrapped an “untitled Marvel movie” that was set for October 6, 2023. There were rumours that the Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot, which begins filming in summer 2022, might drop in October 2023. The November 2023 slot looks likely for Blade now. Of course, that slot could also go to the Fantastic Four reboot from the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts or the Ryan Reynolds-led Deadpool 3, both of which also begin production in summer 2022 alongside Blade.

Beyond all the Marvel stuff, Disney moved Indiana Jones 5 (again). Instead of July 29, 2022, it will now release almost a year later on June 30, 2023. Indiana Jones 5 has done the hop, skip, and jump four times now, from July 2019 to July 2020 to July 2021 to July 2022 and now June 2023. I suppose we should be glad that the Avatar sequels haven’t been pushed again.

Eternals is out November 5, followed by Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6, 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8, 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11, 2022, The Marvels on February 17, 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5, 2023, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on July 28, 2023.