CALIFORNIA: The Walt Disney Co has shaken up its movie release calendar, with several Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks being pushed back while an Indiana Jones sequel delayed by a year.
Many of the films were previously postponed by film set shutdowns early in the pandemic, with insiders telling international fashion magazine Variety the latest changes were also due to production delays.
The company said Monday that the fifth Indiana Jones, a James Mangold-directed and Steven Spielberg-produced instalment which sees the return of Harrison Ford as the adventurous archaeologist, will be delayed almost a year and open in theatres in June 2023.
Returning star Harrison Ford will be 81 years old when the title hits theaters, if the new release date holds. Production on the latest film was delayed this summer when Ford suffered a shoulder injury on set.
Ford first took on the role of archaeologist Indiana Jones in 1981´s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” — just a few years after achieving global fame as Han Solo in the original “Star Wars” film.
The eagerly awaited new “Black Panther” film will now arrive in November 2022. Producers have said that the late Chadwick Boseman´s lead role will not be recast for the sequel.
Other Marvel titles like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were also all delayed several months.
Hollywood studios have shuffled their movie schedules several times during the COVID-19 pandemic. Theater operators are counting on big blockbusters to help lure audiences back after extended closures.
