‘Avatar’ Sequels Among Disney Projects Delayed as Late as 2031 Due to WGA Strike

Although good things come to those who wait, Disney fans might get impatient with the news of Disney’s most notable projects getting put on the back burner.

While Walt Disney Studios projects like The Little Mermaid were delayed due to COVID-19, Disney fans have looked forward to a return to normalcy as the world recovers from the pandemic. But with the most significant workforce disruption since the onset of COVID-19, Disney fans are left at the edge of their seats waiting for the release of major sequels.

WGA Strikes Again

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), consisting of two labor unions representing over 11,000 film, television, news, radio, and online writers, has been striking since May 2. Suspending major projects like NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” the protesting writers are requesting higher pay, stable pay structures, and amendments to their contracts related to AI intervention (Chat GPT).

On Sunday’s 76th Annual Tony Awards telecast, the striking writers took center stage as host, and Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose went unscripted. The writers struck a deal with the minds behind the awards show: they wouldn’t picket the ceremony if the Tonys aired without a script. The Wish star did her due diligence to bring light to the writers’ plight, saying a “full-throated thank you” to the writers for their scripts over the years.

In today’s news, the Tony Awards won’t be the only unscripted show. With ongoing protests from the WGA in New York, Avengers, Star Wars, and Avatar films are getting booted to dates as late as the 2031 calendar year.

Avatar, Marvel, and More

Taking the biggest hit from the WGA’s strike is Marvel Studios. Via The Playlist, these are the upcoming Marvel film delays:

• Cap 4 delayed until July 26, 2024
• Thunderbolts postponed until December 20, 2024
• Blade postponed until February 14, 2025
• Fantastic Four delayed until May 2, 2025

Two of Marvel’s most striking (no pun intended) delays come from the comic book movie Kang Dynasty, pushed back an entire year to May 1, 2026, and Secret Wars, booted to May 7, 2027.

While James Cameron has hinted that most of the Avatar 3 film is completed, whispers of footage retrieval to bolster the characters’ back stories have been floating around. With the film’s date delayed to the new Star Wars film’s original time slot for December 2025, Star Wars is now pushed to  May 22, 2026.

With these schedule shifts, Avatar’s subsequent two sequels won’t hit theaters until December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031. That’s right—Avatar’s fifth installment will debut in 8.5 years.

It appears the Walt Disney Company and other major movie producers will continue playing Tetris with movie calendars until the WGA writers’ demands are heard. In the meantime, Disney Fanatic will continue sharing updates.