With no definitive end in sight for the SAG-AFTRA strike, we probably should have seen this coming. According to Deadline, Deadpool 3 is no longer going to be able to make its planned May 3, 2024 release because, even if the strike ends within the next few weeks, there's simply not enough time to finish the movie.
The trade adds that this is likely the first of many early 2024 titles which will be impacted by the strike, so don't be surprised if official announcements full of release date delays start doing the rounds imminently.
According to their sources, the current idea is that Captain America: Brave New World - which was originally going to be released in May before being pushed to July 26 - will take the Merc with the Mouth and Wolverine's place. That certainly wouldn't be the worst way to kick off the summer.
It's said that the next Captain America movie is "in better shape than Deadpool 3, having finished production."
Presumably, the Marvel Studios threequel will shift to July 26, though the trade suggests November or even Thunderbolts' December 20 slot are also very real possibilities.
It's important to note that nothing is confirmed yet but with the news now out there, Marvel Studios and Disney may choose to make it official sooner rather than later.
This comes shortly after we published comments from Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy in which he said, "I don’t even know if we officially have [a release date]. I know we were gonna be May 3. Certainly, the actors’ strike and the long pause in production have put that release date in true risk. We’ve shot half the movie. I’ve edited half the movie. We’re dying to get back to work and get this movie out next year."
There is hope that the end of the strike is looming because many of Hollywood's biggest stars have today pledged to donate $150 million over the next three years in an effort to bring an end to the stalemate between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA. We'll see.
Alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool franchise vets Karan Soni (Dopinder), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa), Stefan Kapicic (Colossus), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio), and Rob Delaney (Peter) are all set to return in this threequel.
Emma Corrin is expected to play Cassandra Nova, while Matthew Macfadyen will likely take on the role of a TVA agent named Paradox. It's also been confirmed that Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as Elektra, with Liev Schreiber, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and even singer Taylor Swift among the many names rumoured to appear.
Stay tuned for updates.