While it still hasn't been confirmed by Disney and Marvel Studios, we recently learned that Deadpool 3 will more than likely move from its current May 2024 release date. On the plus side, there's a good chance Captain America: Brave New World will take its place, with the Merc with the Mouth shifting to either July or December.
Ultimately, it's going to hinge on how quickly SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios can resolve their ongoing contract negotiations. There have been some bizarre turns lately, with Hollywood A-Listers offering to chip in and SAG leadership telling actors what they can and can't wear this Halloween.
Movies like Dune: Part Two, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, and Kraven the Hunter have already been hit with significant delays and Venom 3 is likely to be next.
While the strikes are obviously the main issue here, Variety has provided further insights. Apparently, it will come right down to the wire for the Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage sequel as insiders believe it needs to resume production within a matter of weeks or a release date delay is inevitable.
Elsewhere, Warner Bros. is mulling over delays for Robert De Niro's Wise Guys and Beetlejuice 2, so the pressure is definitely mounting on studios.
All eyes will be on this winter's biggest releases, The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Wonka, to see if they're able to sink or swim without actors available to promote them.
"The lack of any resolution in labor conflicts is bad news for movie theaters," Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice Pro, tells the trade. "The longer the strike goes on, we approach that worst-case scenario of impact. Some movies don’t need actors to promote them, but smaller releases could benefit from having stars on the press circuit."
Back to Venom 3, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple have both nabbed lead roles in the threequel (we don't currently know who either of them is playing). Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock and also co-wrote the story with Kelly Marcel before she penned the screenplay. Cameras had been rolling in Spain before the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike forced production to be halted.
Little has been revealed about what we can expect from the movie, but set photos have suggested we'll pick up with Eddie in Mexico shortly after he returns to his reality following a brief visit to the MCU's Earth-616 in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
For the time being, Venom 3 is currently set to be released in theaters on July 12, 2024.